JOB, VOLUNTEER, RESEARCH & INTERN OPPORTUNITIES AT GORILLA HAVEN!

We get several emails from kids as young as 5 years old to high school and college students asking what they should do to prepare for a career in primatology (the study of primates). Out of a gazillion kids who say they want to work with gorillas when they grow up, only a small number will succeed in making their dreams a reality. To help tip the scales in your balance, here's some practical advice:

• Study hard in school - especially science classes like biology, anthropology and mathematics (statistics). Whether you end up a researcher or a zoo keeper, the better and more education you have, the better your chances of getting a good job will be.

• Learn French. Free-living gorillas only live in Africa and in many of the countries where they live, French is the main non-African language spoken. Even if you don't think you'll ever go to Africa, knowing French is helpful in reading about gorillas, since many researchers write about gorillas in their native French.

• Volunteer at your local animal shelter, veterinarian's office or zoo. The more experience you get working with or helping animals, the better your chances of getting a good job. Maybe you'll never work with gorillas, but the more you learn about what's involved with routine animal care, the better off you'll be.

• Observe animals on your own. Go to a zoo and study the animals there on your own. Or, watch your dog or cat or the squirrels or birds in your back yard. The animals themselves can teach us a lot.

• Read, read, read! With the wealth of information on the Internet, in libraries and at bookstores, you can learn a lot about gorillas or any other animals on your own time.

• Be Realistic. Many kids think working with gorillas will be fun and exciting, and it can be. But it's also very hard work, often involving back-breaking work, shoveling poop, cleaning stinky messes and not earning very much money either. The best gorilla keepers are the people whose passion for gorillas is their highest priority. No one becomes a gorilla keeper for the money, since animal keepers can be some of the most over-worked, under-appreciated and under-paid people on the planet!! But good gorilla keepers are also the most wonderful, dedicated and important people on the planet, since they are the gorillas' friends and protectors.

• Don't give up! There is a lot of competition for the few good paying jobs working with gorillas, and it can be fierce. You need a lot of patience, determination, tolerance and confidence - and a little bit of luck.. So hang in there - gorillas and other animals need you!

Jobs/Careers: Unlike other wildlife organizations which raise money to cover board member and staff salaries, GH is entirely self-funded, and paying jobs will be limited – so that most of the funding is available for gorillas. We have hired Peter Halliday, one of the world’s best gorilla experts. Pete is in charge of assessing the need for additional staff, including volunteers, interns and paid staff. Due to the unique nature of our project, only the most experienced and/or most qualified people will be considered for paid positions as gorilla caregivers.

Interns. For a modest stipend, GH may be able to offer intern opportunities for special individuals to work with Pete and gain hands-on experience. Most likely, interns will be selected from our volunteer pool, if and whenever possible.

Volunteers. Many times, people want to volunteer thinking they will have access to the gorillas, which will NOT necessarily be the case at Gorilla Haven for many reasons. We’ll most likely need various types of volunteers, and only people who have met certain requirements (details to be determined and announced at a later time), will be allowed to work near the gorillas. Things that we’ll need help with include:

• Gardeners. We have the land. In fact, we have a rather nice, large, fenced-in, protected garden, in addition to meadows and fields. We’d like to begin a Gorilla Garden, of willow, bamboo, mulberry and other favorite gorilla browse. The idea is to make it large enough to possible provide browse to other zoo gorillas (and maybe find a shipping company to express it to them for us too!). Help on our gorilla vegetable and fruit garden is also appreciated and needed.
• Botanists. Any one able to help us classify and identify the plants and trees on our property? Graduate students in the subject might enjoy camping out on the property while doing their study.
• Yard Work. This property was vacant for several years and needs a lot of hard work just to get it back to its former glory. Several fallen trees need to be chain-sawed and either stacked or sold for firewood. Experience in this hard work is a must. Plus a knowledge of local creatures like snakes, whose homes we may be inadvertently disturbing as we clear!
• Research Opportunities. GH has a limited number of guest facilities we will make available to visiting researchers, working under a bona-fide university, school program or with compelling references. Any and all research conducted here will be based on strictly observation only: there will be no intrusive or invasive research - period. GH believes operant training of gorillas (ie: to present body parts for touching by a keeper or providing urine samples) is useful and if the zoo which owns the gorillas at GH agrees, we will endeavor to work with gorillas in such a manner - to gain and foster mutual trust, respect and cooperation between gorillas and their caregivers. Such operant training will be under the strict control of our main keeper.

Visits to Gorilla Haven? This will be difficult for us, but we will NOT allow people to stop by to visit us and also see the gorillas. NO exceptions will be made - even if you’ve driven all night to see the gorillas! Sorry, mom, this includes you too! We will have a specific number of appointments per week which can be made by emailing, faxing or phoning us. GH is not about making people happy seeing gorillas. It’s about making gorillas happy having their peace and quiet without interference from strangers whenever possible!

Résumés? We are collecting résumés from people wanting to be part of GH, and encourage you to contact us. Mail résumés to: Gorilla Haven, P.O. Box 210, Morganton, GA 30560, USA. Or email Jane at:

Other places to go? You might take a look at: http://www.primate.wisc.edu/pin/careers/ as a starting point for other career opportunities working with primates.