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GYC1902 - Crocodile Protection Project Country: Mexico Cost: £2700.00 Please note: £2700 for three months. Each additional month is £475. Cost also includes unlimited health, public liability & baggage insurance, good accommodation, all project related travel, weekend trip, comprehensive in-country support, Spanish CD course, language course on arrival, airport pick up. In the UK we meet you to discuss the project in detail before any commitments are made. Shortly before departure we provide a thorough briefing. Cost Includes: The price includes insurance, accommodation, food, pickup from airport and visas but does not include flight or kit       Duration: 3 months Company Rep Nearby: Daily 0845 344 7588 or

 

	This placement would suit... This project is an exceptional opportunity for those interested in ecology, zoology, biology and the protection of the environment. This is, of course, a great opportunity for those wishing to go further with environmental/ecological and zoological issues. Volunteers are needed to assist the local university biology department with their crocodile research. There is some work in the wild but most days are spent feeding, cleaning, weighing and carrying out studies with crocodiles kept and bred at the university. You would need to be interested in biological research and conservation and also be prepared to work with small groups of visitors. In collaboration with the University of Guadalajara volunteer researchers are needed to assist the university department responsible for the collection of specimens, their upkeep and examination as part of a research-based preservation project. With the increasing tourist development of Vallarta the crocodile’s natural habitat is under severe threat. A young team of biology experts run the small project at the university 15 minutes outside Vallarta. They have six ponds and tanks in the campus with juvenile and adult crocodiles. Volunteers will be trained to handle crocodile correctly and participate in night trips into the estuaries to collect new young from areas where their habitat is at risk. Volunteers in this project will have the unique benefit of having a very hands-on contact with crocodiles and working closely with Mexican scientists and other university students working with the science faculty. The crocodile project shares offices with other staff involved in coral investigations. For this reason, volunteers normally spend a part of each day helping out with coral research and if qualified may have the opportunity to go diving on the spectacular reefs that lie outside the Bay of Banderas. Responsibilities and activities Working closely with Rafael de Quevedo and Helios Hernandez the project directors, volunteers will be involved in a wide range of activities including cleaning tanks, feeding crocodiles, catching newly hatched crocodiles, recoding the development of different crocodiles in captivity and taking tourists and school parties around the reptile section of the campus to explain what the project is about. There are approximately 2,800 students on the campus and therefore volunteers on this project will have maximum contact with young Mexicans and chances to speak and practise Spanish. Time will therefore be split between field work and laboratory and computer stations. This project is an exceptional opportunity for those interested in ecology, zoology, biology and the protection of the environment. Volunteers do not have to have a scientific background but should have an interest in biology and be well motivated. This is, of course, a great opportunity for those wishing to go further with environmental/ecological and zoological issues. At the end of three months you will be awarded a ‘crocodile-handling certificate’. Accommodation, food, language and time off Volunteers will either be accommodated with a Mexican family, or will share a project house with other Outreach volunteers. Food will be provided by their family, organised communally in a shared house or they will receive a daily allowance to buy their own food depending on their housing arrangements. They will also be able to eat midday meals at the university in the general canteen. The accommodation will either be in the very lively town of Vallarta or the quieter and smaller town of Bucerias unless volunteers specifically request alternative arrangements. Volunteers are strongly advised to have some knowledge of Spanish before undertaking this project although the university staff and other students will have some English. There will be a schedule to follow in terms of responsibilities but volunteers should expect to always have weekends off. 0845 344 7588 Outreach International: if you're thinking of participating in volunteer work abroad, we are a specialist organisation that places committed volunteers in carefully selected meaningful projects. We have a wide variety of opportunities but all of them are small, worthwhile, grassroots initiatives working with communities where volunteer work abroad can make a big difference. They are all regularly visited by the Outreach director. Every volunteer is personally met and briefed about their selected project. Outreach International have a clear mission statement and operate a carbon neutral programme.