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Veterinary Projects
Veterinary Wildlife Projects
An exciting and
hands-on programme for veterinary students interested in the
veterinary aspects of African wildlife! Students have the
opportunity to actively participate in the capture and care of
wildlife under the guidance of an experienced wildlife veterinarian.
Due to the high
physical demands of this programme, students are required to be of a
good level of fitness. They will assist in the capture, handling and
carrying of the animals therefore the work can be very strenuous.
The schedule of
work is aimed at a 5 day week but due to the nature of wildlife work
there are no set hours. Emergencies – such as a rhino in a snare –
have the tendency to appear on public holidays!
South Africa is
a country with a wide diversity and a lot of it will be seen by
traveling between farms and nature reserves.
The wildlife vet
is involved with animal relocations, treating sick or injured
animals, diagnosing diseases, treating and diagnosing various
conditions and the volunteers will therefore see first hand the life
of a wildlife vet as he treats the animals in their natural
surroundings.
Species to be
worked on can include any or all of the following:
Buffalo, Rhino,
Elephant, Sable-antelope, Lion, Cheetah, Leopard, Giraffe, other
antelope….and so on.
The programme is
usually limited to 2 volunteers at a time but the exception can be
made occasionally for 3.
Evenings are
spent preparing for the next day, cleaning the equipment,
self-study, etc.
Our
Vets
We work with
several different vets, most of them being in the Limpopo province
of South Africa. Some of our vets also have an animal clinic and in
these situations students will also be able to participate in
anything the vet feels is interesting such as post-mortems and
operations for example when they are not out in the Bush.
Interested students can also assist in the animal clinic at the
weekend or whilst waiting for wildlife call-outs.
Our vets work
different hours – all of them start early in the morning (about 5am)
and they finish sometimes early afternoon and sometimes not until
7.30pm. Students must therefore be adaptable to every situation and
ready to also go on a call-out at the drop of a hat!
Some of the vets
have to travel in a helicopter, usually to dart animals. Sometimes
students are fortunate enough to ride in the helicopter too.
We will inform
you as to which vet you have been placed with and which airport you
need to book flights to.
Accommodation
As the vet
travels a great deal accommodation varies quite considerably. You
will sleep in lodges, tents, anything… however, you will not rough
it ‘survivor-style’ and hot showers and toilets should always be
available.
Meals
The programme
provides cereal for breakfast in the morning and supper in the
evening. A packed lunch is taken by the student for lunch.
Travel
Students should
arrive at Johannesburg airport on a Sunday morning and then either
fly to a local airport where their vet is located or they will be
transferred from Joburg airport to the Game reserve if that is
closer. They will transfer back to Johannesburg airport by plane or
car on the Saturday at the end of the programme therefore should
book a flight out late Saturday evening.
Volunteer Contributions
2 weeks - £1390
3 weeks - £1940
4 weeks - £2495
What is included:
Accommodation, food, transfer to the Game reserve from either
Johannesburg or the vet’s local airport, all project material.
What is NOT included:
Flights to Johannesburg
or the vet’s local airport, Medical Insurance, luxury items
(chocolate, cigarettes, alcohol etc), trips on days off.
VETERINARY PROJECT PICS CLICK HERE!
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