Curator of Birds
Who
we are
The Angkor Centre
for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB) was established in 2003 by Allwetterzoo
Münster and the Zoological Society for the Conservation of Species and
Populations (ZGAP). It was one of the first nature conservation centers in
Cambodia, located within Phnom Kulen National Park at the trailhead to the
historic site of Kbal Spean, about 50km north of Siem Reap Town and the UNESCO
World Heritage Site of Angkor. The animal collection at ACCB currently includes
approximately 750 individuals from about 45 species of birds, mammals, and
reptiles. The primary goals of the ACCB are:
ü
To promote the rescue of selected native Cambodian
wildlife and to provide adequate rehabilitation and release facilities while
ensuring the maintenance of internationally recognized standards.
ü
To provide facilities and technical expertise for the
conservation breeding of selected threatened species, and to initiate and carry
out appropriate reintroduction programs.
ü
To serve as an education and training centre for
communities, wildlife officials and visitors to the centre in order to increase
awareness of and build capacity for conservation and environmental protection
and management, and to promote the sustainable use of natural resources.
ü To initiate and participate
in wildlife conservation and research activities in Cambodia, including in
situ conservation activities, species recovery efforts, biodiversity
inventories and natural resource-use assessment, and to provide information to
support management recommendations for protected areas.
Job
purpose
ACCB currently offers
an exciting and unique opportunity for a Curator of Birds to join a team of
passionate conservationists! Besides working with a variety of species of diurnal
raptors, owls, parakeets and other avian species native to Cambodia, the
successful candidate will be working on establishing conservation breeding
programmes for Giant Ibis, White-shouldered Ibis, Bengal Florican and Greater
Adjutant Stork and improve existing programmes for Green Peafowl, Lesser
Adjutant and Woolly-necked Storks.
Beyond that, she
or he will share the responsibility for ACCB’s mammal collection together with
the Curator of Reptiles.
This is a
challenging but rewarding position for a highly dedicated and motivated
individual with a keen interest in making a contribution towards conservation. In addition, she or he will have to be
prepared to support a variety of other activities at ACCB as required, such as covering
for the Curator of Reptiles when needed, assisting the Veterinarian, helping
with environmental education, maintenance, administration, participation in
special events, or fundraising. The Curator of Birds is required to live
permanently on-site and to be on call for emergencies.
Main
duties and responsibilities
The Curator of
Birds plans, makes recommendations and implements all aspects of animal
arrivals, husbandry, record keeping, enrichment, breeding, display and rehabilitation
and release with a focus on birds. Furthermore, she or he will manage parts of
ACCB’s mammal collection (mostly small carnivores and primates).
The successful
candidate will work closely with the Curator of Reptiles, the Veterinarian and
(regarding releases) with the Curator of In Situ Conservation and Research and
report to the Country Director. She or he will participate in the long-term
planning for the ACCB with regards to conservation breeding programmes, animal
husbandry, animal facilities and staff developments in the Animal Department.
Main
duties and responsibilities of the Curator of Birds are:
ü
Supervise and carry out all aspects of
animal husbandry and rehabilitation; environmental, dietary and sensory
enrichment; preparation for release and animal record keeping
ü
Develop, recommend and implement
protocols, standards and guidelines relating to animal husbandry, conservation
breeding, enrichment and preparation for release in order to ensure ACCB’s
animal collection receives the best husbandry and care possible by
international standards
ü
Oversee and carry out all aspects of
animal training and operant conditioning of the permanent animal collection to
enhance animal welfare, enrichment and safety
ü
Carry out and supervise all aspects of
artificial incubation of avian eggs and special care for neonates and juveniles
ü
Collaborate with the team of the
Animal Department in all aspects of hand-rearing of rescued juveniles/orphans
of a variety of taxa where necessary
ü Collaborate
with the Country Director, Curator for In Situ Conservation and Research, and
Animal Department Team in pre-release assessments of animals prior to
ü (re-)introduction
to the wild
ü Coordinate
closely with the Field Conservation Department regarding release sites or
post-release monitoring when required
ü
Coordinate and conduct animal rescues
and releases
ü
Carry out animal observations with
regards to health issues and behaviour and
inform the Veterinarian when illness or injury is suspected
ü
Assist the Veterinarian with animal
treatments
ü
Participate in research projects and
scientific publications if required
ü
Identify issues with and make
suggestions on how to achieve genetically diverse breeding populations,
including arrangement of animal transfers with other institutions
ü
Continually learn and adapt techniques
to optimize animal husbandry and breeding success
ü
Coordinate closely with the Country
Director and the Facility Department in the design, modification and building
of enclosures
ü
Perform routine inspection of
enclosures for cleanliness and structural defects and perform minor maintenance
and repair of animal enclosures when feasible
ü
Identify safety hazards within the
Animal Department and develop mitigations
ü
Co-Supervise the animal keeping team
with the Curator of Reptiles; provide leadership to all subordinate employees
and develop training plans
ü
Ensure the training and development of
staff expertise in animal husbandry, animal training, conditioning and
enrichment
ü
Develop and implement safety
guidelines and train subordinate staff members regularly in all safety
procedures and considerations; oversee the compliance of the safety guidelines
ü
Assist in the supervision of interns,
students or volunteers in collaboration with the senior staff
ü
Keep and report animal records,
maintain and improve databases for all animal management records (ZIMS and
other software)
ü
Develop and improve existing standard
operating procedures for the Animal Department
ü
Report writing
ü
Prepare budget plans in close
collaboration with the Curator of Reptiles and the Country Director
ü
Prepare budget requests and
responsibly manage the allocated budget for the animal welfare and conservation
breeding programmes
ü
Purchase and organization of animal
food, supplies and enclosure-maintenance materials
Requirements
ü
A degree in zoology, biology,
conservation, animal behavior, zoo keeping or related field, or proven equivalent
work experience
ü
Proven working experience with a
variety of avian species in a zoo, rescue centre, breeding centre or similar
working environment is required
ü
A keen interest in conservation is
essential
ü
Experience in hand-rearing of avian
neonates is required
ü
Experience in artificial incubation is
required
ü
Experience in falconry techniques and
their application to the rehabilitation of birds of prey would be an advantage
ü
Working experience with mammals and
chelonians would be an advantage
ü
Demonstrable experience in staff training
and capacity building would be an advantage
ü
Excellent administration, organization
and communication skills
ü
Sound knowledge of wildlife and
habitat conservation, especially with regards to Southeast Asian conservation
issues
ü
Good command of English (spoken and
written)
ü
Good improvisational and practical
skills
ü
Flexibility and ability to cope with a
sometimes heavy workload (also on weekends and possible night shifts) and to prioritize
in a demanding environment
ü
Ability to live and work under simple
conditions in a rural area. Some previous experience of working/living in
developing countries and/or in tropical climates would be an advantage
ü
Computer literacy with a working
knowledge of Microsoft Office. ZIMS experience would be an advantage
ü
Physically fit and able to work in a
hot and humid climate
ü
Team-working skills and ability to
work in a multi-national team
ü
Cultural sensitivity
ü A
clean driving license for cars
Conditions/remuneration
ü
Free shared accommodation (private
room with access to shared bathroom, kitchen and living room), water,
electricity and internet at ACCB, located at Kbal Spean in Phnom Kulen National
Park
ü Airfare
to/from site if required, including one return flight per year (for contracts
>1.5 year)
ü
Health Insurance expenses will be
reimbursed up to 1000 USD per year
ü
Full-time work (usually from 7-11 am
and 1-5 pm), with flexibility as required and on-call availability for
emergencies
ü 6
days off per month
ü
30 days annual leave per calendar year
ü The
salary provided will be sufficient to allow for a comfortable living in
Cambodia
Closing date: Applications
will be reviewed until the position is filled and interviews are starting
immediately at January 15th, 2020. Please apply as soon as
possible, the latest by January 31st, 2020.
Starting
date: March
Preference will
be given to candidates indicating that they are prepared to stay for longer
periods (ideally at least 2 years). Short-listed candidates will be notified
for a Skype interview in due course.
Please apply as
soon as possible via email (not exceeding 10 MB) including cover letter,
CV and the contact details of two references to:
Mr. Michael
Meyerhoff, ACCB Country Director
|
Curator of Birds
Reports to
the Country Director of Allwetterzoo’s Cambodia programme
Location is
the ACCB near Siem Reap, Cambodia
Responsible for
several critically endangered bird species
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