Testimonies from the Field

One of the great things about running the Para La Tierra Primate Project is that I get the chance to share my project with international volunteers and interns and let them experience what being a field primatologist is really like. Capuchins start their day with the sun, which means that we need to be under the tree they slept in before dawn. Our house is a 30-minute walk from the forest, which means that we have to leave at 4:30am. We then spend 9-12 hours walking/running/crawling around the Atlantic Forest to keep up with or find the capuchins. Getting the chance to spend your days in one of the world’s most endangered terrestrial habitats is nothing short of a privilege. The more time you spend in the forest, the more likely you are to run into some of the other mammalian inhabitants including howler monkeys (if you are really lucky!), coatis, crab-eating foxes, tayras, jaguarundis, oncillas or peccaries. And of course the capuchins themselves are a constant source of entertainment.

Here are some testimonies from some past and present members of the primate team:

“My time at Para La Tierra….hmmm, how to describe it? Amazing, wonderful, exciting, stunning, exhilarating, shocking, beautiful, hard-work, fulfilling and so many other words that I could probably just fill this whole space with! I volunteered with Para La Tierra from August 2013 until February 2014. I was a part of the primate project run by the lovely Becca Smith. The main aim of why I was there was to help collect valuable data relating to the Azara’s capuchin species (Sapagus cay) that are found at Reserva Natural Laguna Blanca. We would go out, every day, to the forest in search of these amazing monkeys to observe their behaviour and collect any other data we could about them. This would include the type of food items they were seen to be eating, their sleeping sites, we took photos to build an archive of individuals and so much more. Now, I’m not saying this was a walk in the park and we found them every single day and just got to sit there and watch the beautiful monkeys. This was definitely hard work trying to find the groups and then stay with them as we tried to document their behaviour but I will tell you this, the first moment (and every moment after that) you see these amazing creatures in the wild, every early start and all that comes after it is, without a doubt, is 100% worth it….trust me. Throughout my time as a volunteer I was able to develop new field work skills and had the opportunity to help develop and test new projects or ideas. If you are someone that has never done fieldwork before, don’t worry, this is a great program to join to teach you valuable research skills that can really help if you plan to do any type of fieldwork in the future or even with university. You will get to see so many other animals too while you are there. There are amazing reptiles, birds, and of course the other furry mammals that are around. On a bit of a road-trip that we took to the Chaco region in the north of the country I was lucky enough to see a wild capybara, some flamingos and wild pigs! I absolutely loved every single minute of my time in the field but that wasn’t the only experience that I gained volunteering with the Primate Project….oh no! Visiting Paraguay, I was able to experience the beautiful and wonderful Paraguayan culture. The people there are so generous and welcoming. I even learned some Spanish along the way – I thought I was crap with languages, so if I can pick up some then I think anyone could! To some up my experience – I went as a volunteer but left having met some absolutely amazing people along the way (many I’m still really good friends with, even if they live half-way across the world), learned something about other people/cultures as well as myself, developed new skills and even got to say that, in some small way I was able to contribute to the research that is fighting to understand and save these amazing capuchins and the habitat that they live in. “ Anna O’Riordan, 2013/2014

“I interned with PLT in 2014 and returned as a primate team volunteer in 2015. I originally went to Laguna Blanca to complete an intern project on trapping small mammals. However, the crab-eating foxes in the Atlantic Forest soon learned that they could pull my Sherman traps off of the trail and flip them over to retrieve the tasty bait inside. I spent most days during my internship in the forest tracking down my lost traps - which gave me the perfect opportunities to learn how to follow the capuchins. I returned to Paraguay a year later and helped Becca complete a demographic assessment of one of the capuchin groups using a camera trap. We were fortunate enough to have recently published our study in the journal Neotropical Primates and present our findings at an International Primatological Society conference this past August. One of the best experiences as a primate volunteer was when Becca and I were able to watch group O for more than a half-hour on the day before my 22nd birthday and then saw two crab-eating foxes and a jaguarundi on our walk back from the forest. Since my last visit to Laguna Blanca, I completed my Masters degree in biology and I am currently a full time laboratory assistant at the California National Primate Research Center in the US. I am hoping to eventually enroll in Ph.D.program that would enable me to study the primates of the Argentinian and Paraguayan Chaco.” Emily Briggs, 2014/2015

“I was always the child that would spend endless hours outside looking at every piece of grass and approaching every moving thing I encountered. I’m that kind of person that, while being at a party, spends more time with the dog than with the actual people at the party! I couldn’t have been happier than walking around in the forest looking for the capuchins. In the Netherlands we have a saying; like a fish in the water (we have more strange proverbs, but I will keep it short). I won’t lie, this kind of fieldwork is though. But it is more than rewarding to find a group and actually observe their behaviour, or even interact with you in person! It is more than rewarding to take volunteers to see the capuchins and their face lit up when the capuchins come closer and closer. And it is priceless to be told by them that a lot of people would probably want to see this in real life. I cannot agree more; everyone should see this for themselves. I am inviting each and every one of you to come and be amazed by these adorable, clever, fascinating little creatures. See you at Laguna Blanca! Kelly Rebergen, 2016

“I decided to come to Para La Tierra for many reasons, all of which made the organisation stick out above others. I had been looking at a multitude of conservation-based projects situated all around the world but in the end chose PLT. PLT offered a place where I could progress in my academic career, engage my passions and interests and have a completely new experience. I was particularly drawn to the academic aspect here, which goes above many other conservation organization, allowing you to create or join an existing research project associated with your area of interest. I am also deciding what to do with my future and whether or not to progress my studies with a PhD and feel my time at PLT has definitely fostered these thoughts. I think its safe to say my favourite moment at PLT so far has been when we found the black and gold howler monkeys! It had been three years since they had been spotted and we were able to observe them for a couple hours over two days. We were also lucky enough (or not) to be showered by howler monkey poop and urine, which definitely made it a moment I will never forget. However, it’s also just as exciting when we find the capuchins in the forest, every time I see them I feel so privileged and amazed to be observing and studying them in the wild. Its extremely tiring being in the field researching the capuchins but I can’t wait to see what the next month will bring.” Bella Contador-Kelsall, 2016

We have spaces right now for Primate Team interns from January until April 2017 on a study of the dietary diversity of the three capuchin groups. We are also looking for people to come and help us track our incredibly elusive howler monkey group! If you are up for the challenge and want to contribute to primate research and conservation in Paraguay, please email your CV to Karina Atkinson at karina@paralatierra.org.

Hope to see you soon in Paraguay!