Elephant welfare advisor, Vietnam
Animals Asia is recruiting an experienced elephant
manager to be based
in Vietnam and to work in partnership with the Elephant Conservation Centre and Yok Don National Park to provide
welfare advice to optimize
the welfare of elephants within
our partner projects.
Yok Don National Park
In July 2018, Animals Asia
signed a 5-year agreement with Yok Don National Park to end the use of captive
elephants in the national park in
elephant riding tourism, and to transition to an ethical elephant experience. This
new tourism model
has been operational since October 2018. The park currently has 4 elephants as part of the tourism model and it is
anticipated that additional elephants will join the programme as it expands.
The elephants are
free-roaming in the
national park, with
their mahouts, during the day and
are tethered on long chains
in the forest
at night.
Tourists are able
to book tours
to be taken to the
elephants and spend time following them in the forest
and learning about them and the natural habitat from the guides
and the mahouts.
Elephant Conservation Centre (ECC)
The ECC is a government-supported organization
tasked with preventing the extinction of the Asian elephant in Vietnam and
providing care for
orphaned wild elephants and the captive
elephant population (currently used within tourism).
The ECC has been commissioned by the central
government to build
an elephant facility to house former ‘tourism’ elephants. Construction
of this facility has not yet begun. The facility has been designed as a
‘Protected Contact’ facility.
ECC currently manage
two young bull elephants within
a temporary enclosure, both
of which were
wild born individuals that due to human
activities have been separated from their herds
and are now in need of
care.
Elephants coming to the facility will do so with diverse histories; some may be injured or orphaned wild elephants, others retired from the
tourist industry. The aim of the facility
is to provide optimal care for this diverse group of elephants and manage them where possible as a herd to
encourage natural socialization and species appropriate behaviours.
The facility is being configured in such a way that
future integration with adjacent wild populations is also a possibility.
Key duties - YDNP
In partnership with the YDNP tourism department ensure that the welfare of the
elephants is maximized, staff and visitor safety
is secured, and provide advice
to the YDNP staff and Animals Asia staff on animal management and
operational protocols.
Provide support to the YDNP science department to manage rescued
animals, implement practices which improve animal
welfare and help the national
park develop a rescue and release facility.
Develop and
oversee necessary staff training.
Key Responsibilities
●
Develop management protocols which maximise
the welfare of the
elephants
●
Support YDNP
and Animals Asia
staff in implementation of day to day
operations in line with the elephant experience regulations and agreements to ensure visitor expectations,
safety and elephant welfare are met and maintained
●
Provide on-site
oversight, advice and support to maximize the welfare of captive elephants and other rescued
animals.
● Ensure effective evaluation and monitoring of standard operating procedures with regards to animal management and staff safety
● Coordinate
the delivery of animal management and veterinary
training and raise awareness of animal welfare
concepts.
● Support the Ethical
elephant tourism supervisor providing training, information and
technical assistance as required
Key duties - ECC
Provide support to the ECC
elephant carers and
veterinary staff, deliver training in the care of captive
elephants to meet their physical and behavioural needs, and provide
advice on management and operational
protocols, to ensure a high standard of welfare for the elephants and safety
for staff and visitors.
Advice the ECC on the
implementation of management plans and safe working practices and provide
advice and support
to ensure that
the welfare of the individual animals
is the highest priority within
the ECC reproductive programme.
At times this role may contribute to the wider
programme of management that includes the protection activities of the wild
population.
Key Responsibilities
● Support ECC management in managing elephants,
stimulating natural behaviours and building social herds.
● Support the activities of the elephant carers
and veterinary staff to implement approved protocols to ensure the welfare of the elephants is optimized, and the safety of the staff is maximised
● Coordinate the delivery of animal management and veterinary training
● Ensure effective evaluation and monitoring of standard operating procedures with
regards to animal
management and keeper
safety.
● Coordinate
with international partners on the development of the facility and care of the elephants in
line with the facility’s mission, vision and strategic objectives.
● Provide animal care advice for captive elephants
external to the facility.
● Coordinate
the implementation of a nationwide elephant welfare
assessment survey
Key
Skills
●
A minimum of 5 years’
experience in elephant management
●
Experience
of working within
the elephant tourism
industry
●
Experience
of working with people from different cultural
backgrounds
● Self-motivated and independent with
ability to work under difficult conditions
● Strong organizational skills
in both operational and administrative areas
● Good communication skills
with a calm manner and a diplomatic personality
● Experience in training
staff in animal
care
●
Willingness
to learn Vietnamese (a translator will be provided)
●
Physically
fit for the required tasks
● Knowledge and experience of establishing, maintaining and ensuring compliance
with standardized operating procedures
● Knowledge and experience in risk assessment
●
Experience in leading a team
Additional responsibilities
● Provide animal management support to other
facilities within Asia under
the guidance of Animal Asia
and our international partner organisations
This is a unique opportunity to work in Vietnam and
significantly contribute to a
programme that aims to be a leading tool in saving Vietnam’s elephant
population for future generations, and developing high standards of care for
captive elephants within
the tourism industry.
The position is based in Buon Ma Thuot
(Central Highlands of Vietnam). This is a 12-month post (initially), extension of this post is funding
dependent
Animals Asia will
provide support to aid relocation to Vietnam and to obtain
the necessary work permits
and visas
Animals Asia position on the use of elephants
in tourism
● Animals Asia does not support the use of
elephants in performances/shows which involve
animals performing unnatural behaviours
●
Animals Asia
does not support
the use of elephants for
direct contact experiences with the public (riding/bathing/photos with elephants)
For further details
and/or to send an application letter and CV indicating
present and expected salary please
write to David
Neale at
Only shortlisted candidates will be notified.
Applicants not hearing from us within six weeks from the date of advertisement may consider their application
unsuccessful.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value
diversity. All employment is decided on the
basis of qualifications, merit and business need. Personal Data collected will be used for recruitment-related purposes
only.
Closing date
for applications is Wednesday 2nd
September 2020
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