Volunteer participants/ Internships

Every field season we have a few spaces for volunteer participants. Priority is given to those currently in higher education (and completing a degree in a South American country). In the following we outline what we expect of our interns and volunteers and what you can expect from interning/ volunteering with us. Please note that we do not provide stipends for internships and we require interns/ volunteers to cover their own costs of transport to the field site plus the incurred living and accommodation expenses (details see below). We do not charge a participant fee but we expect interns to cover the full costs of  participation.

Fieldwork in Northern Patagonia, Chile

The field work activities usually take place from January to April (austral summer and autumn). Field activities are determined by the current research themes which can vary from year to year. The core project activities involve visual surveys from a small inflatable boat conducted in the nearshore waters (< 5km from shore) of the study areas. The boat team usually consists of two to four observers one of whom also drives the boat. All volunteers are expected to learn how to drive the research boat. Boat surveys usually involve long hours on the water (4-10 hours) and conditions even in summer are very often cold and wet.

During each survey we record environmental conditions in regular intervals and volunteers are expected to assist with all those measurements, including deploying and recovering various hand-held instruments from the boat. Whenever dolphins or porpoises are encountered we record group size, behavioural state and sometimes undertake focal follows. If conditions allow we aim to photograph the dolphins for our photo-identification catalogues. Volunteers are expected to assist with the processing of photographs and data entry back at base during non-survey days.

Since 2013, we also undertake static passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) using C-PODs to register echolocation clicks from dolphins (or porpoises). The C-PODs need to be recovered and serviced at regular intervals to download data. The recovery and deployment of C-PODs will only be performed by experienced scuba divers with scientific diving authorisation in Chile. Volunteers might have the opportunity to join the recovery boat trip but should not expect to get involved in the diving operations.

Since 2015, we have also been taking minimally invasive skin samples from Chilean dolphins and Peale's dolphins as part of the Tonina Health Assessment project. Such samples will only be taken by trained and authorised researchers, but volunteers will assist in the collection of behavioural information and, if suitably qualified, might drive the boat during sampling.

Depending on the current research questions to be investigated volunteers will also be expected to assist with land-based observations from an elevated vantage point. This involves having to carry surveying equipment to the study site including a 100 m climb up a steep hill. Sure-footedness and reasonable fitness are therefore important.

Overall, this project takes place in some rather remote (but stunningly beautiful) locations in southern Chile where the local facilities are limited (e.g. shopping, medical services). Please consider these circumstances carefully before applying with us.