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WORK WITH DOLPHINS IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA
UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH DOLPHINS ON A
PARADISE BEACH IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA - HOW GOOD IS THAT!
This fascinating
and very worthwhile project give you high levels of personal
satisfaction and you'll contribute to the well-being of dolphins, in one
of the most beautiful parts of Australia! The sheer size, amazing
natural wealth, awesome scenery and huge variety of plant and animal
life make Australia an essential destination for anyone with a passion
for nature and wildlife.
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►SUMMARY
FACTFILE |
| Start Dates |
Available from the beginning of
October through to the end of May - you can choose your
start and finish dates within this period. |
|
Duration |
From 6
weeks to 12 weeks, subject to visa restrictions |
| Requirements |
No qualifications or
experience required, but you must be adaptable, enthusiastic, fit
and healthy, and
have lots of initiative. You should also be fluent in English and
enjoy talking to people. |
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Price |
From
£1,995 / US$2,995 for 6 weeks, ranging to £2,995
/ US$4,495 for 12 weeks.
Full Price List and other
Currencies |
| What's included |
►Accommodation
►Food
►Meeting you at the Airport
in Perth
►Transfer to your project
in Bunbury
►Free weekend in Perth
during your placement
►Full
pre-departure support
►Local in-country team support and backup
►24-hr emergency
support
►1 free T-shirt |
|
What's not included |
Flights, Insurance,
Cost of Visas (if a visa is required, but we'll provide necessary documents and
assistance), Transport to and
from your accommodation to your project (it's in walking distance),
►Return transfer to the airport
in Perth. |
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Who can do this Project? |
All projects are
open to all nationalities.
You need to be aged between 18 and 70 |
Also on this
page:
PROJECT
OVERVIEW
Your project is based at a non-profit Centre
in Bunbury committed to dolphin research, education, conservation and
tourism.
Facing Koombana Bay to the North, the Centre enables people to interact
with Bottlenose dolphins in a variety of ways. There are up to 100
dolphins living in the Bay and groups of them regularly visit the
shallow waters in front of the Centre.
The Centre was opened in 1994, and is the first Centre in Australia
dedicated entirely to dolphin research.
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FREE WEEKEND IN PERTH DURING YOUR PLACEMENT
As an added bonus, you'll get a FREE weekend in
Perth to explore this delightful city!. You'll stay in a Backpackers situated in
the heart of Perth, on the doorstep of vibrant North Bridge,
famous for its bars, clubs and restaurants, and next door
to the train station for easy access to the surrounding regions and the port of Freemantle.
You'll be met at the coach station and taken to the Backpackers
where you'll do a little catching up, then you're free to explore
the city at your own pace and in your own time. You'll return to Bunbury
by coach on Sunday afternoon, ready to go back to your project on
Monday. |
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WHAT YOU'LL GAIN FROM DOING THIS PROJECT:
The enormous satisfaction of helping dolphins and
knowing that you made a contribution to their ongoing conservation.
New skills, more confidence, a greater understanding
of a different culture, invaluable personal and professional
development.
An entry on your CV or résumé that will put you head
and shoulders above most others in the job market
And best of all ... an unforgettable experience!
WORK CONTENT:
Being a volunteer at the Centre
can be a wonderful experience, you meet people from all around the world, not to
mention the dolphins! However, your time as a
volunteer will involve a lot more than being in the water with the dolphins.
Talking and answering questions is a very important part of your role.
Eighty percent of your day will involve talking to people who come down to the
beach to see the dolphins, thus educating them about their characteristics and
making them aware of how crucial it is to conserve these wonderful animals.
Here are some of the tasks you may be involved with:
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Talking to visitors
on the beach - explaining what the Dolphin Centre does.
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Assisting to
coordinate the Interaction Zone when dolphins visit.
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Managing the front
entrance and Dolphin Room area.
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Participating in
’’Coastcare” activities and assist with current research projects.
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Assisting with the
research program, recording observations in the bay and monitoring
dolphin visits to the zone.
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Inputting the
research data into databases for analysis
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General maintenance
and cleaning.
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Tour guiding
through the Interpretive Centre for the general public, tour groups
and school students.
The
work that you'll be involved in depends on what is available at the time of
your placement.
About The centre
The Centre is a unique place. It is the only site in Australia which can
offer shore-based and boat-based swim tour interaction with wild
dolphins as well as dolphin watching tours and a fascinating and
educational Interpretive Centre.
During the mid 1960’s,
a local resident, began feeding the dolphins from a small jetty near her
home on the Leschenault Inlet (directly south of the Discovery Centre).
Unfortunately, she passed away in the early 70's ceasing any regular
feeding of the dolphins she befriended. Some dolphins continued to be
fed by the public from areas nearby. However, it wasn't until 1989 that
a dolphin specialist was hired by a newly established Dolphin Trust to
continue this tradition and began feeding and studying the local
dolphins of Koombana Bay. From this work came the establishment of the
Interaction Zone in 1990 and the Centre itself in 1994 to allow tourists
and members of the community to interact, understand and enjoy the
group of five to
six dolphins that regularly visit this Zone.
It is not clear why the
dolphins continue to visit the Zone today. However research does suggest
that the small amount of food they receive as a reward for their visit
is not the only attraction. There are many dolphins that visit the Zone
regularly that do not receive any fish and many of them stay for
extended periods of time for interaction with the human visitors. Sick
and injured dolphins also treat the beach as a haven, with some
repeatedly visiting during periods of illness or injury.
Volunteer Training
You'll
learn a great deal through the training course which covers a wide range
of issues and skills and includes presentations from a selection of
guest speakers relevant to the operation of the Centre. Regular
volunteer meetings are held to ensure you are kept up-to-date with the
latest issues regarding marine mammal management and the operations of
the Centre. After having completed a minimum of 20 hours training,
you'll receive an official Volunteer T-Shirt
which will identify you to the public as a trained representative of the
Centre.
The Centre relies on
the assistance of volunteers to advise visitors on the operations and
ethos of the Centre, help manage the dolphin interaction program,
actively participate in their research program and act as a guide. Staff
members attend monthly meetings, as well as regular video and BBQ
nights, which you'll be invited to attend. By volunteering, you will
achieve a great sense of satisfaction knowing that you are assisting in
a worthwhile project to increase public awareness about dolphins and
other marine life.
Hours of duty and Work Schedule
This project requires you to commit for a minimum of 6 weeks and a
maximum of 12 weeks. You will work 5 days a week, around 8 hours per
day.
This placement is
definitely for animal loving enthusiasts who are willing to work hard
and aren’t afraid of getting their hands dirty - the rewards are well
worth it! Whilst volunteering is rewarding in itself, time spent at a
project such as this is an excellent springboard for traveling around
Australia. Meeting other volunteers from around the world, and listening
to their stories and recommendations can give you the confidence to
travel and experience more.
PROJECT LOCATION - BUNBURY
This programme is located in Bunbury,
the third largest city in Western Australia.
The city is small but a major commercial centre in Western
Australia and acts as a hub to the local area.
Bunbury
is about 2½ hrs
drive south of Perth
on the South West coast of WA. Bunbury markets itself as the real
Australia. It is located on a spectacular peninsular surrounded by blue
waters of the Indian Ocean, Koombana Bay and the Leschenault Inlet. A
vibrant port city with a strong maritime history, Bunbury is renowned
for its quality lifestyle and unique blend of nature surrounds and top
quality facilities.
Bunbury's other features include Western Australia's southern-most
mangroves, rare basaltic rock and nearby Tuart Forest. A colourful
"cappuccino strip" of sidewalk cafes and a variety of waterside dining
options offer numerous opportunities to taste the wonders of the local
produce. These cafes and the award-winning restaurants and historic pubs
ensure the atmosphere hums! Bunbury is surrounded by forests, national
parks, beautiful waterways, historic towns and hundreds of vineyards,
not to mention the incredible coast-line.
CLIMATE
Bunbury has a Mediterranean climate with warm to hot summers and cool
winters. Rainfall is received in the form of cold-fronts during winter
but the weather is rather pleasant for the rest of the year. In summer
(December to February), the average maximum temperature is 28°C with an
average minimum temperature of 14°C. In winter (June to August), the
average maximum temperature is 19°C with an average minimum temperature
of 9°C.
REQUIREMENTS:
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You should
be a hands-on
person who loves
the outdoors.
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You
should be in good health and reasonably fit and able to work in a team.
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You should
be prepared for some hard physical work,
especially during the summer time when it can get extremely hot.
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You should be
willing to get stuck in and get your
hands dirty.
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Also flexible and be prepared
to move around the City and go wherever
you're needed.
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You should also be fluent in English and enjoy talking to people.
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Very Important - you
will need to use your initiative and be very proactive, be patient and
determined.
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Like most conservation
work, there are spiders and snakes in some locations, so you should
reconsider this project if you have a fear of these.
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Lastly, self-reliance and independence
will help you make the most of
this wonderful opportunity!
ABOUT THE
DOLPHINS OF KOOMBANA BAY
Dolphins and whales belong to the order Cetacea. The order Cetacea is
broken down into two different groups or sub orders - baleen whales (Mysticeti)
and toothed whales (Odontoceti). Dolphins are small toothed whales (Odontocetes)
and belong to the family Delphinidae. There are approximately 30 species
within this family.
The Koombana Bay dolphins are Bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).
They have beaks that are short, usually only 7-8 cm long, wide and
rounded, with a lower jaw which protrudes conspicuously beyond the
upper. The line of the mouth is soft and curves upwards at the back to
give this species its familiar, faintly amused facial expression.
Bottlenose dolphins can stay underwater for 8-10 minutes, however the
average “down time” is 2 or 3 minutes. When a dolphin dives the blowhole
shuts completely, otherwise their lungs would fill with water and they
would drown.
DID YOU KNOW?
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Bottlenose dolphins, like all whales and
dolphins, are warm blooded mammals. They breathe air and the females
give birth to live young.
The Gestation period for a female is 12 months and she will nurse
her calf for 2-3 years. The mother will always wean her calf before
giving birth to another. Therefore she is able to calve every 3-4
years.
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Calves weigh approximately 30 kgs at
birth (0.5 to 0.9 metres in length) and can grow to seven times
their body weight in the first year. This is possible due to the
very fatty milk fed by their mother.
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The weight of Bottlenose dolphins will
vary from 110 kilos to 400 kilos. Their length can range from 1.5 to
4 meters.
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It is estimated that wild Bottlenose
dolphins can live for 35-45 years. This is longer than the
previously thought 25-35 years. However life expectancy of dolphins
is hard to measure as they live so much of their lives out of human
view.
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Dolphins are sexually active all year
round, although mating season in Koombana Bay takes place in the
spring and summer months.
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A female dolphin will mate with many
different males. Males will compete aggressively for access to
females that are sexually receptive (in oestrus).
The best way to determine whether a dolphin is male or female is to
look on the underside of the dolphin. The female has two mammary
slits either side of her genital slit.
Danielle was a fantastic volunteer who showed lots of initiative and
thus got a lot of our her placement:
"My major role was to pass on information to
the visitors about the dolphins and their environment and to ensure
every level of dolphin – human interaction was managed in a safe and
appropriate way. This was particularly important during the dolphin swim
tours where I was assigned the position of swim tour guide and was
responsible for the safety of all visitors while snorkelling with
dolphins out in the ocean.
In addition to these regular volunteer duties, I also participated as a
research volunteer. Working alongside researchers from Murdoch
University, part of my role was to collect survey and photographic data
along with various other geographical and weather related details. This
information provides a solid baseline source of information on the
dolphin’s general group densities, movements and site preferences and
how they vary over time.
It was a tremendous experience for me to work with the Dolphin Discovery
Center, I will take the skills I've learned into my next endeavours and
the joyful memories will stay with me always!"
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OPTIONAL ADD-ONS
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Bunbury High Street
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