Royal Veterinary Collage, University of London http://www.rvc.ac.uk/about/our-people/stuart-patterson#tab-research Contact: spatterson@rvc.ac.uk A Targeted Approach to Controlling Tuberculosis in Wild Meerkats Whilst there may be good reasons for controlling some diseases of wildlife (e.g. zoonotic risk to people, livestock health, conservation, or welfare), achieving this is often problematic, with difficulties relating…
Current affiliation: CNRS Researcher, Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolution, Montpellier; http://www.cefe.cnrs.fr/fr/recherche/ee/esp/777-c/2673-elise-huchard Contact: ehuchard@gmail.com The evolution of mammalian social and mating systems I am interested in the evolution of mammalian social and mating systems. At the interface between sexual and kin selection, a major axis of my work explores…
Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan; http://sites.lsa.umich.edu/dantzerlab/ Contact: dantzer@umich.edu Meerkats and stress Like many social animals, meerkats exhibit extensive individual-variation in the expression of cooperative (or helping) behaviour where some individuals exhibit consistently more cooperative behaviour than others. Meerkats also exhibit changes (plasticity) in their…
Website: http://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/directory/jack-thorley Contact: jbt27@cam.ac.uk Life history trade-offs in co-operative breeders Co-operative breeders are an interesting case study for life history theory, with the apparent load-lightening effects of helpers granting reproductive individuals high levels of fecundity across unusually long lives. Yet, the high reproductive success of a select few…
Website: http://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/directory/tejasvini-chalikonda Contact: c.tejasvini@gmail.com Causes and consequences of individual differences in foraging success An individual’s foraging behaviour is a major determinant of its growth, survival and reproductive success. The aim of my PhD research is to explore the extent and causes of individual differences in food choice, foraging…
Website: http://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/directory/dr-constance-dubuc Contact: cd556@cam.ac.uk Intrasexual competition in meerkat females I am broadly interested in the evolution of breeding systems and reproductive strategies in animals. Before joining the Kalahari Meerkat Project, my research focused on understanding the consequence of the decreased strength of direct male-male competition for breeding opportunity…
Webite: http://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/directory/dominic-cram-1 Contact: dc593@cam.ac.uk Conflict and cooperation in meerkat societies: reproduction and ageing The meerkat social life is one of extremes. While living in close groups confers certain benefits, competition can also be intensified. Cooperation and conflict are important themes in meerkat societies, and I investigate both…
In the morning, volunteers will travel to the meerkat burrow, weigh the meerkats when they emerge, collect 3h of behavioural data after the meerkats start to forage, and weigh the meerkats again before returning to the farm house. At the farmhouse, volunteers will upload and manage the data they collected,…
There is good and regular internet access at the farm house but volunteers should be aware that this is not free as we buy satellite internet (it is cheap, though). There is good but sometimes patchy mobile phone reception and texts and calls can be made and received from the…
The living conditions at the field site are generous for a remote field site; volunteers are given their own room with a bed, a desk and other small furnishings. The farm house is shared by all at the project and there is a large communal kitchen and living area.