Individuals interested in mammal ecology and conservation are invited to assist us in our study of wolves, lynx, medium size carnivores and bats. You should be able to stay for at least two months, during which time you will carry out fieldwork involving spending days (and sometimes nights) in the mountains, on your own or with other studensts, engaged in various activities. These may include: searching for and collecting/recording different evidences of carnivore species e.g. tracks, scats, scent-marking; snow-tracking in the winter season and conducting transects through the forest in the vegetation season; observation of animal dens and searching for new dens; catching, identifying and measuring bats. You will also do some computing of collected data, helping to create a database of predator locations, numbers, territory sizes, habitat preferences, etc.
There are no specific qualification requirements, although a background in biology would be useful. More important however are enthusiasm and a willingness to learn and put into practice new skills and techniques. If you are aiming for a career in animal ecology or conservation biology, this would be a good opportunity to gain valuable field research experience. Potential applicants should note that this is not a holiday. You should expect to spend long, hard days in the field, and must be comfortable with walking long distances (up to 20 km) in steep, rugged terrain (on snow shoes in winter).
We make no charge to volunteers, but you will need to pay for accommodation (in a private house at a cost of approximately € 6 per day) and food.
If you would like to be considered for a volunteer placement, please send a CV and brief cover letter explaining your interest to the address below (either by post or email). Please provide a full body photograph of yourself. It will allow us to assess your fittnes.
(You are not required to have any knowledge of the Polish language as we are fluent in English)