Meerkats of the Kalahari

  South Africa

Rural Areas

Duration of Program: 1-2 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 1-2 weeks
Dates: Inquire for specific dates.

Description: Research Mission
Visit the real Meerkat Manor and get to know these highly cooperative and charming small mammals.

Situation Report
Kuruman River Reserve, South Africa - Cooperative breeding, in which animals help others raise their young, occurs in many animal species. It appears to be common in the Kalahari Desert, where extreme conditions have molded cooperative breeding in meerkats, those inimitable relatives of mongooses that stand upright to peer across the landscape. The standard explanation for this behavior has been that related animals benefit by having shared genes passed on in the young they helped nurture. Renowned behavioral ecologists Dr. Timothy Clutton-Brock and Dr. Marta Manser (University of Zurich), however, believe that even more immediate selfish reasons stimulate cooperative breeding. You can help them examine how environment and evolution shape cooperative behavior.

Meals and Accommodations
You will be housed in your own thatched-roof rondavel with a cold water sink, basic furnishings, electricity, and a fan. Hot showers and flush toilets are located in a nearby building. The team will be part of ongoing research programs at the reserve, and will have a chance to interact with a variety of researchers, or even play volleyball with them. Breakfast and lunch are self-serve, and a local cook will provide wonderful evening meals, including pasta, fish, chicken, and traditional dishes. Volunteers will be invited to help with food preparation at a weekly barbecue.

Highlights: On the Expedition
Under the direction of your experienced field team assistants, you will help observe six habituated colonies of meerkats in this 25-square-kilometer reserve. You'll learn the techniques of radiotracking and focal sampling, GPS referencing, as well as how to weigh meerkats. This data will help evaluate how cooperative breeding affects the survival of both pups and helpers. You will also investigate interactions between the meerkats and a kleptoparasitic bird species, the forktailed drongo. Supplementing the meerkat studies, you'll help conduct biodiversity, invertebrates, and plant surveys and spend some time recording the size and activity of social bird colonies, like pied babblers and weavers, in response to rainfall levels. You'll also help outreach efforts to assist the local community primary school - all this against a backdrop of gemsbok, hartebeest, springbok, duiker, steenbok, bat-eared foxes, three kinds of mongooses, many birds, and the fantastic creatures of the Kalahari night.

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$: 3,846

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: 18 - 90

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to South Africa Independently

Typically Participants Work in Groups of 3-6

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

Post-Program Services Include:

• Alumni Network

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. The Earthwatch community also includes 20,000 global members, 4,000 eager volunteers each year, 50 collaborating conservation organizations, and 50 corporate partners, all of whom work together to make a difference. Below you will find out more about our leadership, employment opportunities, and contact information.

Year Founded: 1971