I did this back in 1990, when I was 20 and studying abroad. It was through Earthwatch.
http://www.earthwatch.org/
It was expensive - something like $2,000 - but I convinced my parents that it was an educational expense, and since I went to a state college, my tuition was low. (OT - it was $625 a semester!) They agreed I could use college money to pay for it. I had a blast - we chased kangaroos, caught and tagged them with radio collars, observed mama kangaroos and their joeys...it's up there as 2 of the best weeks of my life.
My parents have looked into volunteer vacations more recently and have found a WIDE variation in how much they can cost.
Sorry I can't say much more than that. I just wanted to relive my kangaroo memories!
Hey - I just found an article published based on the work that we did!
Quote:
Competition between red kangaroos (Macropus rufus) and sheep (Ovis aries) in the arid rangelands of Australia
Competition between red kangaroos and sheep in the more arid areas of Australia was examined by means of a large-scale manipulative experiment incorporating two replicates of each of three treatments: sheep-only, kangaroo-only and a sheepAangaroo mixture. The study was conducted over two years during which time pasture conditions varied markedly. Competition was intermittent, occurring only during a period of climatically related food depletion (semi-drought). At this time there was a large increase in kangaroo densities due to an influx of kangaroos from neighbouring areas. Competition reduced live-weight in sheep but had no significant impact on wool production. This effect was linked to diet selection. Competition caused red kangaroos to favour paddocks destocked of sheep but had no detectable effect on the condition of kangaroos. |
