Animal volunteer project with chamois, wolf & bear, Slovakia

The Tatra chamois is a unique subspecies of mountain goat in immediate danger of extinction (it is listed as "critically endangered" in the IUCN Red Data Book). There is an ongoing argument of whether the rapid population decline is due to predation, particularly by wolves and less so by bears, or brought about by other reasons such as human impact and/or global climate change. Decision-makers currently favour the 'decline by large predators theory' and efforts are under way to increase hunting quotas for large predators, supposedly to reduce pressure on the chamois. Scientists in Slovakia, however, have strong reason to believe that poaching by legal hunters and some other insufficiently studied reasons (e.g. inbreeding depression) are the actual cause of the chamois decline. This expedition will gather vital data crucial to the conservation of the chamois and in the prevention of large-scale hunting of predators like the wolf and bear.

First of all, please note that this operator has won multiple awards that show its committment to conservation and the environment. Two of the most prominent awards are "Best Volunteering Organisation" at the 2006 Responsible Tourism Awards and higly commended for "Best for Conservation of Endangered Species" at the 2007 awards. See http://www.responsibletourismawards.com for more details. The operator is committed to running real wildlife conservation research expeditions to all corners of the Earth and says "Our projects are not tours, photographic safaris or excursions but genuine research expeditions, promoting sustainable conservation and preservation of the planet's wildlife by forging alliances between scientists and the public.

Our goal is to make, through our expedition work, an active contribution towards a sustainable biosphere. We believe in empowering ordinary people by placing them at the centre of scientific study and by actively involving them out in the field, where there is conservation work to be done. We always work in close conjunction with local people and scientists and try our best to ensure that the fruits of our expedition work benefit our local helpers, their society and the environment they live in. Adventure, remote locations, different cultures and people are part and parcel of our expeditions, but also the knowledge that you will have played an active role in conserving part of our planet's biosphere.

We exist for those who, through their hands-on work, want to make a difference to the survival of the particular species or habitat under investigation, and to the world at large. We invite everyone to come and join us out in the field, at the forefront of conservation, to work, learn, experience and take responsible guardianship of our biosphere.

To achieve this we will wherever possible:

collaborate with reputable scientists, research institutions and educational establishments (wherever possible from the host nation) who are experts in their field

collaborate with organisations and businesses which operate in an ethical and/or sustainable way

operate in an ethical and sustainable way, minimising negative impacts on local cultures, environments and economies

publish results and recommendations based on collaborative work together with those who helped gather data and draw conclusions.