Gibbon Conservation Center
(formerly International Center for Gibbon Studies)
A nonprofit center for the study, preservation, and propagation of highly endangered species        

Information for Volunteers

Organization name: Gibbon Conservation Center     
Address: P.O. Box 800249, Santa Clarita, CA 91380 USA           
Phone: 661-296-2737        Fax: 661-296-1237       
Email: gibboncenter@earthlink.net         Website: www.gibboncenter.org
 Volunteer Coordinator:  email: gibboncenter@earthlink.net. 
You can also fax applications (but NOT copies of driver's license/passport or insurance)
to 661-296-1237, or mail to PO Box 800249, Santa Clarita, CA 91380

Volunteer Application   (see main Volunteering page)

Location and Housing: Santa Clarita, California. The Center is about 1 hour north of Los Angeles
International Airport, off Highway 5. It is 9 miles east of Six Flags Magic Mountain Amusement Park.
The nearest grocery store is 3 miles away in the town of Santa Clarita, which can be reached from a
bus stop half a mile from the Center. Dial-A-Ride (door to door service) is also available for 75 cents
with 24 hours notice. There are, among other stores, a shopping mall, three large movie theaters,
and several international restaurants within 7 miles of the Center. Since the Center is in a canyon,
there is no television reception. However, we have over 200 movies on video available. Even though the
Center is rather isolated, it is an ideal location for someone who wants to "get away from it all", and
who enjoys such solitary pursuits as hiking, bicycling, reading, writing, bird watching and stargazing.

Costs for Participants: The volunteer is responsible for travel, food (an average of $75 per week),
vaccinations and medical tests. 
    In order to ensure that the Gibbon Conservation Center remains fully staffed at all times, individuals
wanting to secure a volunteer position are required to send us a $200 deposit at least 3 months prior
to their expected start date at the GCC. The deposit is fully refundable on the last day they are
scheduled to volunteer at the Center, as long as they serve the full number of scheduled days in good
standing. If the volunteer leaves the position early, for ANY reason, their deposit will not be refunded.
Once the deposit is paid, it will not be refunded if the volunteer decides not to work at the GCC,
unless 3 months notice is given.
    Resident volunteers-- we strongly prefer that you use a telephone calling card, and send us a copy.
If not, a $200 deposit in advance is required for telephone usage. The unused amount will be returned
to you at your request within 2 months following your departure. International volunteers must send a
copy of a calling card that they will use PLUS $200 deposit. For your peace of mind, please black out
the numbers on the calling card copy before sending it to us.  You may elect to use your cell phone,
but note that reception is spotty at the Center.
    Copies of the volunteer’s driver’s license or other photo ID (such as passport) and proof of health
insurance that will be valid in Los Angeles County, California, are required.  These cannot be faxed.       
    Housing is provided at no charge for resident volunteers—a semi-private room (part of the office used
by the staff) in the director’s home at GCC or trailers (possibly shared with another volunteer) 10
yards (meters) from the house. Trailers do not have restrooms. Laundry facilities, bedding, dishes and
towels, sheets, and access to the kitchen are provided.

Dates: Year round, 30 day minimum (for residents), no maximum.  For day (commuting, local)
volunteers, we require a commitment of at least 2 days per month. There is generally a shortage of
volunteers from September through April.

How to Apply: Request volunteer application (or print out and send completed), send resume and 2
letters of recommendation.

Work Done by Volunteers: There are 3 types of volunteer positions (for both residents and
non-residents):

1. Primate Keeper prepares gibbon food, feeds captive gibbons, changes water, cleans kitchen and
bathroom, cleans enclosures. For resident volunteers, this requires a full day of work (from about 7 am
to 5 pm), 7 days per week. May also (depending on skills, needs of the Center, number of volunteers,
and personal preference) do behavioral observations, medicate gibbons, do library research, word
processing on Macintosh computer, filing, fund raising and maintenance of grounds and enclosures.
This position is physically strenuous and requires good physical condition. (If you aren’t in good shape
when you come here, you will be when you leave!)

2. Center Assistant may (depending on skills, needs of the Center and personal preference) do
maintenance of grounds and enclosures, behavioral observations, cleaning of food preparation area,
library research, fund raising and word processing. Center Assistants must keep a minimum distance
of 6 feet from all enclosures.

3. Clerical Assistant may (depending on skills, needs of the Center and personal preference) do word
processing, fund raising, library research and behavioral observations.

Special Skills or Requirements for Volunteers: Volunteers must be self-motivated and have a love for
animals. You must be able to work alone, since the Director may work at least 4 days a week elsewhere,
and there may be no other volunteers for periods of several days. Word processing ability (Macintosh
Microsoft Word), library research skills, maintenance skills, and the ability to get along with a variety of
people, are preferred volunteer attributes. 
    All volunteers must be at least 18 years old and resident volunteers must be at least 20 years old.
Our weather conditions can be extreme—very hot (105 degrees F.) in summer, cold (35 degrees F at night)
in winter with chance of rain. We will send you information about a shuttle van from the airport to the Gibbon
Center and we will take you to the airport (LAX or Burbank only) on your departure. You are responsible
for transportation for any additional trips. 
    No smoking is allowed at GCC. Please bring unscented toiletry articles and do not use perfumes, or
scented deodorant or aftershave. You will need to be cautious when wearing hats, hair accessories, jewelry,
glasses, or very loose clothing when near gibbon enclosures, because the gibbons might grab them. Long
hair should be tied back to prevent it from getting pulled. If you wear glasses or contacts, you must bring
an extra pair. Face jewelry/piercings, earrings, and necklaces must be removed before working near the
gibbons. (This rule is essential to prevent the gibbons from ingesting jewelry, and to prevent a painful injury
to the volunteer. If you feel you must wear face jewelry here, we need advance notice with a description
of it before you arrive, and you will need to bring your own non-disposable face shield and wear it while
feeding the gibbons.)
    No one who has a compromised immune system can assist with food prep or feeding the gibbons.
They could jeopardize the gibbons’ health or their own.
    No one is permitted to touch the gibbons, or to allow them to grab you.  Because two of our
many goals are breeding and study, we want the gibbons to be bonded with their gibbon cagemate, not
with people.
    Since the GCC is in a rural portion of Los Angeles County, we can only receive dial-up internet access.
Only one person at a time can use the internet, and large files cannot be downloaded. 

1. Primate Keepers must have all of the following medical tests and vaccinations completed before
entering the facility: 

We request that you read the following before your arrival, which should be available at a college library:

· Ellefson, J. O. 1974. A Natural History of the White-handed Gibbon in the Malaya Peninsula. In, Natural
History, Social Behavior, Reproduction, Vocalizations, Prehension. Gibbon and Siamang, vol. 3. D. M.
Rumbaugh, ed., 1-136.

· Baldwin, L., & Teleki, G. 1976. Patterns of Gibbon Behavior on Hall’s Island, Bermuda, In, Suspensory
Behavior, Locomotion, and Other Behaviors of Captive Gibbons. Gibbon and Siamang, vol. 4. D. M.
Rumbaugh, ed., 1-105.

2. Center Assistants must have the following: tetanus vaccine (within the last 5 years), tuberculosis test
within the last year (or physician’s certification that you had a chest x-ray negative for tuberculosis),
Rubeola ("regular") measles vaccination (or physician’s certification that you had measles).

3. Clerical Assistants must have had a tetanus vaccine within the last 5 years.

Rewards:  In addition to learning about primate behavior, you will have the opportunity to develop
observational skills on nearly 40 behaviorally uninhibited primates. You will have the opportunity to work
with and study one of the largest and rarest groups of gibbons in the world, including the Javan gibbon
(there may be less than 2000 remaining in the wild and no other in captivity in the U.S.) and the pileated
gibbon (we are one of only 3 institutions that houses this species in North America.) Resident volunteers
who have completed at least one month’s stay may come again for less than the one month minimum.
Volunteers will be sent the newsletter for one year free and can get reduced rates on gifts.

Commentary: The Gibbon Conservation Center (GCC), founded in 1976, is a non-profit organization and
the only facility in the world devoted exclusively to the study, preservation and propagation of gibbons,
and to education of the public about them. Since gibbons are monogamous primates, GCC houses them
in naturally occurring small family groups to enable the species to reproduce successfully in captivity.
We house the second largest group of gibbons outside their countries of origin, including 6 of the 15
extant species. The comfort and well-being of these primates is our primary concern. They are housed
in spacious outdoor enclosures, ranging from 30 to 40 feet in length and from 12 to 20 feet in height.
All staff members and workers, including Director, Alan Mootnick, are volunteers. GCC educates through
lecture tours directed at elementary through college students (especially Anthropology and Biology
students.) GCC has the largest gibbon library in the world, containing over 1700 scientific and popular
gibbon articles, including 50 dissertations. GCC also functions as a consultant to zoos, museums,
government agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and rehabilitation centers in Thailand on
the care, maintenance and taxonomic identification of gibbons. GCC is a CDC registered quarantine facility.  

Volunteer Application   (see main Volunteering page)

INTERNSHIPS

A limited number of internships are available at the Gibbon Conservation Center throughout the year for a
minimum period of one month.

We are looking for hard-working, honest and reliable volunteers to serve as interns.  No experience is
necessary.  Free housing is provided only to those interns who accept all the following responsibilities:
behavioral observation, data recording (on Macintosh), care and feeding of gibbons and general
maintenance. This requires a minimum of about 40 hours per week.

PLEASE NOTE:

If interns wish to work on their own study projects, a per diem fee is REQUIRED
(not negotiable) amounting to $5 per day per gibbon studied. Because of the required
$5/day/gibbon studied fee, the intern is advised to seek outside funding, (e.g. a grant).
Any grant awarded must be shared with GCC.

Other interns (those not living at GCC) are welcome to study their own projects or those
designed by GCC. They are encouraged to apply for outside funding, because a per diem
fee of $10 per day per gibbon studied is REQUIRED.  In addition to this fee of
$10/day/gibbon studied, any grant awarded must be shared with GCC.

Class credits are often available—speak to your professor.

Personal rewards include the gratification of contributing to the well-being of gibbons and learning more
about these highly endangered apes. Successful interns will be given preference for conducting their
master’s or doctoral field studies at GCC.

To apply, send a letter of interest, a curriculum vitae or resume and names of 2 references (preferably
with email addresses). For further information, please write to Alan Mootnick at the address below or
email: gibboncenter@earthlink.net.  You can also fax applications (but NOT driver's licenses or health
insurance) to 661-296-1237.  We must receive your payment before your arrival to consider you an intern.

No smoking is permitted at GCC.

For more information on volunteering or interning, contact:
Volunteer Coordinator: email: gibboncenter@earthlink.net. 
You can also fax applications to 661-296-1237, or mail to:
Gibbon Conservation Center
PO Box 800249
Santa Clarita, CA 91380 USA

Thank You!
 

GIBBON CONSERVATION CENTER
 A 501(c)(3) nonprofit center for the study, preservation and propagation
                                 of highly endangered species

VOLUNTEER APPLICATION

Name ___________________________________________ Home phone _____________________
Birth date___________________
Address/City/State ________________________________________________________________
Email_______________________  Occupation/employer_____________________________________________________
Work phone _________________________ Address ________________________________________________
Closest living relative _________________________________ Phone ___________________________________
Address __________________________________________________________
Two References (employers, professors, supervisors):
1) Name _____________________________________________________ Position __________________________
Email (preferred) _____________________________ Phone (USA only) ______________
2) Name ____________________________________ Position _________________
Email (preferred)________________________ Phone (USA only) ___________________

Educational Background ______________________________________________________________________________________
Office Skills (typing, computer, etc.) _____________________________________________________________________________
Trade Skills (carpentry, chain link, welding, etc.) __________________________________________________________________
Animal Experience, Hobbies, Other Skills ________________________________________________________________________
What languages do you speak, other than English? ____________________
Where did you hear about us? _____________________
Other volunteer service (organizations, board positions, etc.) _________________________________________________________
Have you ever been away from home for at least a month?  _____________

What do you expect to do here & what do you hope to gain from your experience at GCC? (please use reverse)
I am volunteering as (please check one): Primate Keeper ___ Center Assistant ___ Clerical Assistant ___
and as a Resident Volunteer ___ or as a Day Volunteer ___, on a regular basis ___ or as needed ___
When do you want to come? (1st choice) _____________________________
(2nd choice) _________________________________
I am currently a member of AZA _____, AAZK _____, ASP ____, other _____________________________________________

Have you ever been convicted of any crime? _______ (If yes, please explain when, where, and disposition of
case on reverse side.) Have you ever had any injuries or physical, sensory or mental disabilities or restrictions? _____
(Please explain on reverse side.) Do you have a suppressed/compromised immune system? _____

NOTE: A $200 deposit is required to hold your spot (see "Information for Volunteers--Costs").  You must include a copy of health
insurance and your driver's license or other photo ID (such as a passport) with this application. (This is to prove who you are—we
do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion or national origin.)  Do not fax these.

Signature _________________________________________________________ Date __________________________________
(No smoking is permitted at GCC)