Position Description
The Sloth Husbandry and Field Technician must have the ability to work 9 hour days with some on-call/overnight baby feeding shifts. Work schedule is 5 days on with 2days off per week. In addition, because we sometimes get rescue calls in the middle of the night; this person must be willing to work outside of normal hours when needed. This person must be extremely dedicated to sloth conservation and willing to forgo personal comfort for the benefit of the animals. You will be hot, sweaty, wet, cold, eaten by mosquitos, sleepy, sore, and tired but you’ll still feel that there is no other place in the world that you would rather be than helping sloths get better so they can return to the jungle. The ideal person will eat, sleep, breathe and dream about sloths! This is rigorous animal care work, with only necessary direct contact with the animals. You will be close to the animals when needed for feedings and care, so you must know how to respect their personal space and the fact that they are wild animals. As an organization we are strictly against taking selfies with the sloths or treating them as personal pets. They were all born to be wild.
Duties
- Assist in medical treatments and animal restraint
- Driving to locally identified sites and harvesting browse in a manner appropriate for sloth consumption
- Feeding (including hand-feeding when needed), cleaning cages and and enriching sloth cages
- Keep animal areas, equipment and facilities clean and organized
Qualifications & Experience
All applicants must be physically fit, healthy, have animal care experience, animal husbandry experience, excellent communication skills, a strong interest in animal welfare and conservation and a great sense of humor. Applicants must be organized and a clean/tidy person. You will report directly to the Sloth Veterinary Technician on a daily basis and will need to be able to recognize medical/behavioral/husbandry issues and notify your supervisor in a timely manner. Must be able to work well and efficiently alone as well as in a team environment.
- Coursework and/or experience in zoology, animal husbandry, or wildlife rehabilitation is required.
- Valid driver’s license and ability to drive manual transmission vehicles required.
- Experience traveling to a tropical country and living in rainforest conditions are a plus.
- Applicants that speak both Spanish and English will be given priority but must be fluent in either Spanish or English.
- Must complete required vaccinations and purchase current international health insurance prior to arrival in Costa Rica.
- Must be a non-smoker.
Salary & Funding
This is a voluntary/self funded position. Room in shared common facilities with basic meals will be provided. WIFI, electricity and running water is also included. You will be responsible for all travel expenses/flights and immigration expenses; health insurance expenses and must complete a negative covid-19 test prior to work beginning, after arrival in Costa Rica.
Term of Appointment
Must be willing to stay for at least 6 months with an option for extension upon review.