WHAT IS 8 PRIMATES PROJECT?
We have one of South America’s primary wild primate research centers, with multiple groups of all eight species on the Tambopata River, all habituated through regular contact with visitors and scientists over the last 25 years.
In 8 primates project we use behavioral follows and bioacoustics to look at the ranging patterns and communication of all eight monkey species at Tambopata. We are developing extensive libraries of calls for all monkey species, and are using these to detect monkeys in the wider forests of Peru. We need participants of all levels to add to our growing dataset.
Join Wired Amazon!
Train as a primatologist in the Peruvian Amazon
The best way to train in behavioral research and fieldwork is to do so ‘on-the-job’. By training with us, you can gain experience with eight different species, and learn specialist skills in the current techniques used on-site, whether it's behavioral sampling on monkey groups of 8 different species, using photography and video to identify individual monkeys in the groups, making live recordings of primate communication or setting remote recorders to detect monkeys across the field site.
Collaborative research
We also encourage researchers from all institutions to get in touch with us about new avenues for research in the Peruvian Amazon. Our habituated monkey groups, identified individuals and open baseline data give your project a head start at Tambopata. We have Mark Bowler and Hugo Cliff leading this awesome 8 primates project.
Participate as a citizen scientist while at Tambopata Research Center
We will also need help from citizen scientists on visits of all lengths. Whether it is photographing our monkeys to help us complete our ‘Monkey Facebook’ catalog of individuals, or tracking the monkeys with a GPS or even your smartphone, you can provide a real contribution to wildlife research and the allies of conservation, meanwhile having a fantastic stay in the Amazon of Peru, and enjoying a wide variety of activities and excursions that Tambopata Research Center has to offer you. Upgrade your experience by learning from the researchers at mealtimes and spending time with them and the monkeys as part of your unique stay.
Become a Volunteer
What they say about the volunteer program
"From the arrival at the Tambopata Research Center via boat, to having the unexpected privilege of seeing a jaguar on the first day in the forest, 6 weeks of volunteering with Wired Amazon’s 8Primates project looked positive from the outset. From someone who had no experience of being abroad, let alone in such an incredibly diverse ecosystem, I found myself becoming comfortable with being regularly immersed in the jungle, both on and off the trails. Each morning we would head out into the forest either setting up audio recorders or following our primates. The afternoon would then be a process of collating data, mapping any finds, or heading out to find more primates and their ‘roosting trees’. The howler monkeys became the early focus with troops so near the lodge, working to gain recordings and identify individuals with photographs. The length of time and immersion in the rainforest gave us close-up interment views of not only the primate species but many other unbelievable encounters as well. It was only through a morning tracking Howler Monkeys that we had the privilege of witnessing a juvenile Harpy Eagle attempt to predate a member of the troop…a truly unforgettable moment! As a volunteer, you learn to view the rainforest through a different lens- you learn to tune into the sounds that turn out to be spider monkeys crashing through the canopy or catch the subtle movement of titi monkeys through the bamboo. Even inside the lodge, you’re constantly surrounded by wildlife, when relaxing in the hammocks or watching the hummingbirds outside. And all the time you’re helping research that aims to aid the conservation of the species around Tambopata, which is a great privilege in itself. Volunteering in TRC will forever remain one of my personal highlights."
Review by Ceri Archer
