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| Gough Island: Worker sought for one of world's remotest places | Gough Island: Worker sought for one of world's remotest places |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| Gough Island is a dependency of Tristan da Cunha - itself a remote British territory in the south Atlantic | Gough Island is a dependency of Tristan da Cunha - itself a remote British territory in the south Atlantic |
| A British wildlife group is looking for someone to work on one of the remotest islands in the world for 13 months. | A British wildlife group is looking for someone to work on one of the remotest islands in the world for 13 months. |
| Gough Island, a British territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean, has no permanent population. | Gough Island, a British territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean, has no permanent population. |
| It is around 1,500 miles (2,400km) from the African mainland - and, with no airport, reaching Gough involves a seven-day boat ride from South Africa. | It is around 1,500 miles (2,400km) from the African mainland - and, with no airport, reaching Gough involves a seven-day boat ride from South Africa. |
| It is a journey already completed by Rebekah Goodwill and Lucy Dorman, who currently work on Gough. | It is a journey already completed by Rebekah Goodwill and Lucy Dorman, who currently work on Gough. |
| They are among the seven full-time employees - and eight million birds - who call Gough home. | They are among the seven full-time employees - and eight million birds - who call Gough home. |
| Lucy and Rebekah in Gough | Lucy and Rebekah in Gough |
| The pair work for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). Before moving to Gough, Lucy worked in Antarctica while Rebekah worked for the RSPB in Scotland. | The pair work for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). Before moving to Gough, Lucy worked in Antarctica while Rebekah worked for the RSPB in Scotland. |
| Rebekah's year on the island will end in September, so the RSPB is looking for a new field officer, with a salary of between £25,000 and £27,000. | Rebekah's year on the island will end in September, so the RSPB is looking for a new field officer, with a salary of between £25,000 and £27,000. |
| The job involves "frequent long days" tracking seabird species, and requires candidates to adapt well to living in a "challenging and remote sub-Antarctic environment". | The job involves "frequent long days" tracking seabird species, and requires candidates to adapt well to living in a "challenging and remote sub-Antarctic environment". |
| Candidates should also have "a science degree or equivalent experience in a relevant subject", as well as "wild bird/animal handling and monitoring experience in the field". | Candidates should also have "a science degree or equivalent experience in a relevant subject", as well as "wild bird/animal handling and monitoring experience in the field". |
| And Rebekah and Lucy warn potential employees they will have to brave tough weather - and put up with no fresh food for a year. | And Rebekah and Lucy warn potential employees they will have to brave tough weather - and put up with no fresh food for a year. |
| "I think Bekah and I, being British, thought we were used to rain," Lucy says. "But there's a lot of rain." | "I think Bekah and I, being British, thought we were used to rain," Lucy says. "But there's a lot of rain." |
| She adds: "We are on the edge of the roaring forties, we are just a small rock in the middle of the south Atlantic, so we do have some pretty extreme weather." | She adds: "We are on the edge of the roaring forties, we are just a small rock in the middle of the south Atlantic, so we do have some pretty extreme weather." |
| The roaring forties describes the area between the latitudes 40 and 50 south of the equator - notorious for strong winds. | The roaring forties describes the area between the latitudes 40 and 50 south of the equator - notorious for strong winds. |
| So what do you eat when you're more than a thousand miles from the nearest country? Get ready for meals to come packaged - or frozen. | So what do you eat when you're more than a thousand miles from the nearest country? Get ready for meals to come packaged - or frozen. |
| "It was definitely one thing they stressed for us before we came - that for many people, the lack of food and the lack of fresh food is significant," Lucy says. | "It was definitely one thing they stressed for us before we came - that for many people, the lack of food and the lack of fresh food is significant," Lucy says. |
| "The main thing I certainly miss is just like a crunchy carrot, or being able to bite into a nice apple. Just some crunch, but apart from that - I don't feel like I'm really missing much." | "The main thing I certainly miss is just like a crunchy carrot, or being able to bite into a nice apple. Just some crunch, but apart from that - I don't feel like I'm really missing much." |
| Fresh fruit and vegetables pose too much of a biosecurity risk of germinating and spreading across the island. Instead, food is mainly sourced from two walk-in freezers, stocked once a year. | Fresh fruit and vegetables pose too much of a biosecurity risk of germinating and spreading across the island. Instead, food is mainly sourced from two walk-in freezers, stocked once a year. |
| "One's full of frozen vegetables and the other's basically full of frozen meat and then we've got lots of tinned frozen fruit and veg," Rebekah says. | "One's full of frozen vegetables and the other's basically full of frozen meat and then we've got lots of tinned frozen fruit and veg," Rebekah says. |
| "They give us a year's worth of supply of food during that two-week takeover time, and we live off it for the rest of the year." | "They give us a year's worth of supply of food during that two-week takeover time, and we live off it for the rest of the year." |
| The takeover time refers to the period once a year, in September, when some employees on Gough pack up and return home, and new workers take over. | The takeover time refers to the period once a year, in September, when some employees on Gough pack up and return home, and new workers take over. |
| And as for social isolation? | And as for social isolation? |
| "In an odd sort of way I kind of feel like I'm more connected to my friends and family here than I probably was when I worked up in Scotland," says Rebekah. | "In an odd sort of way I kind of feel like I'm more connected to my friends and family here than I probably was when I worked up in Scotland," says Rebekah. |
| The pair say with internet on the base, staying in touch is as easy as ever - and the support of the small team makes up for challenging moments. | The pair say with internet on the base, staying in touch is as easy as ever - and the support of the small team makes up for challenging moments. |
| "It's a very nice community here so we're able to share stories, and learn from each other and support each other when you can't be at a wedding or a funeral," adds Rebekah. | "It's a very nice community here so we're able to share stories, and learn from each other and support each other when you can't be at a wedding or a funeral," adds Rebekah. |
| As part of the RSPB International Conservation Science Team, Lucy and Rebekah track the movements of various endangered birds, such as the Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross, Atlantic petrel and MacGillivray's prion. | As part of the RSPB International Conservation Science Team, Lucy and Rebekah track the movements of various endangered birds, such as the Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross, Atlantic petrel and MacGillivray's prion. |
| During the day, they brave the weather and head into the field - usually equipped with waterproof jackets and trousers, and wellington boots - to locate the birds. | During the day, they brave the weather and head into the field - usually equipped with waterproof jackets and trousers, and wellington boots - to locate the birds. |
| They are collecting data on chicks on the island, and their fight against mice, an invasive species, that have been eating them. | They are collecting data on chicks on the island, and their fight against mice, an invasive species, that have been eating them. |
| "They [the mice] did start to eat the seabirds," Lucy says. "They don't have any predators, the mice on the island, and so they were having a massive impact, particularly on the small chicks." | "They [the mice] did start to eat the seabirds," Lucy says. "They don't have any predators, the mice on the island, and so they were having a massive impact, particularly on the small chicks." |
| In 2017-18 the mice became so detrimental to chicks that just 21% of Tristan albatross chicks survived to fledge. In one critically endangered petrel species that nests in burrows - the MacGillivray's prion - not a single chick survived. | In 2017-18 the mice became so detrimental to chicks that just 21% of Tristan albatross chicks survived to fledge. In one critically endangered petrel species that nests in burrows - the MacGillivray's prion - not a single chick survived. |
| The RSPB suspects the mice were introduced onto Gough by sailors in the 19th Century, and the group has been working to eradicate them. | The RSPB suspects the mice were introduced onto Gough by sailors in the 19th Century, and the group has been working to eradicate them. |
| The eradication has significantly reduced the population - but the RSPB has not yet been able to completely rid the island of mice. | The eradication has significantly reduced the population - but the RSPB has not yet been able to completely rid the island of mice. |
| So, for those interested in a year on Gough - birds, mice, frozen food, and spectacular remoteness included - the deadline to apply is the end of Sunday. | So, for those interested in a year on Gough - birds, mice, frozen food, and spectacular remoteness included - the deadline to apply is the end of Sunday. |
| Related Topics | Related Topics |
| RSPB | RSPB |
| Mice | Mice |