Carnivores of Madagascar

  Madagascar

Ankarafantsika National Park

Duration of Program: 1-2 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 1-2 weeks
Dates: 2008: Jun 18 - Jul 4, Jul 10 - Jul 22, Jul 24 - Aug 5 (teen), Dec 30 - Jan 11

Description: Research Mission
Help scientists learn more about fossas, Madagascar's strange, little-studied lemur-eating predators.

Situation Report
Ankarafantsika and Kirindy Mitea National Parks, Madagascar
Although Madagascar's famous lemurs have been the subject of a great deal of scientific interest, researchers have spent little time studying the much rarer predators. Seven of the eight civet-like carnivores that stalk Madagascar's forests are found nowhere else in the world. The habits of many are virtually unknown, their population status a mystery. Dr. Luke Dollar and Leon Pierrot Rahajanirina, working with veterinarian Dr. Julie Pomerantz, are assessing and monitoring the size and density of carnivore populations in these remarkable forests. Their research comes in the nick of time, as deforestation and hunting for bush meat threatens many of these unique mammals and their habitats.

Meals and Accommodations
The Ankarafantsika teams will stay at a tented research station with showers and toilets, and two furnished bungalows less than half a kilometer from the nearest trap. Staff cooks will prepare local fare, based on rice and beans, topped off occasionally with exquisite, locally produced chocolates. In Kirindy Mitea, you'll be camping under the stars and really roughing it: setting up a field camp, cooking your own food, hauling your own water, subsisting on much simpler rations, and truly testing your mettle!

Highlights: On the Expedition
Up before the sun, you will rotate between a variety of tasks essential to the project's success. Often hiking more than 20 kilometers a day, you'll learn how to set fossa traps and use radio-tracking transmitters and receivers. You will be trained to check trap lines in the early morning and late afternoon, help measure trapped and sedated carnivores, and possibly, in Kirindy Mitea, help radio-collar fossas. Midday is often free for informal lectures or hikes through the fossa's forest home. In both locations, you will also see numerous lemurs. In Ankarafantsika, your evenings may be spent at local village festivities or sharing stories with the nearby women's cooperative. In Kirindy Mitea, where the camp is much more remote and basic, you will spend evenings around a campfire. Morondava's exquisite white sand beaches are worth a visit before or after your team dates.

Qualifications: Earthwatch volunteers are enthusiastic to learn about the research topic and are willing to contribute their time and energy to support leading scientists in conducting field research. Volunteers will be trained upon arrival at the research site. Teams have a minimum age of 18, unless accompanied by parent or legal guardian, in which case the minimum age is 16.

Cost in US$: 2,546 - 2,846

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: Earthwatch expeditions appeal to a variety of people: educators gain new knowledge and develop exciting lesson plans; students explore career options and build research skills; writers, photographers and artists contribute their skills and share their experiences through a variety of media; businessmen and women, doctors and nurses, engineers, homemakers, retirees . . . people from all walks of life choose to volunteer on research expeditions each year. Volunteers are actively engaged on a daily basis with the research project, develop global perspectives, and explore new cultures and environments.

Age Range: teen (16 - 18) and adult (18+) teams

This Program is open to World Wide Participants. This Program is also open to Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Madagascar Independently

Typically Participants Work in Groups of 8-16

Scholarships are Available. - Fellowships may be available, mainly for high-school students and educators. Visit our website for more information.

Application Process Involves:

• Other
• Phone Interview
• Physical Exam/Health Records
• Written Application

Earthwatch Institute's Mission Statement: Earthwatch Institute engages people worldwide in scientific field research and education to promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment. Through a unique method of funding, the volunteers Share of Cost contributes directly to the support of the research projects. Earthwatch enables scientists to pursue research goals and members of the public to gain hands-on experience with science. Each year, over 4,000 people from 46 countries directly contribute to scientific research by working alongside scientists, local community members and other volunteers. Earthwatch volunteers can track sea turtles; join archaeological digs; observe animal behavior; collect rare plants, study dolphin behavior and more. Hundreds of expedition teams can use your help in 48 countries and 16 U.S. states this year.

Year Founded: 1971