South Africa - Pre-Vet Wildlife Internship

One of my greatest experiences was doing game captures, getting to do an inject an impala and blesbok myself with vitamins, and being able to release them back into a different reserve! Definitely not something I can do back home in the United States! I missed a connecting flight in Africa to my final destination and was having a hard time trying to contact my volunteer group to arrange a different pickup time. I contacted GoEco and they did an amazing job in contacting them and arranging it for me.

South Africa is a wonderful place. Initially, I was disappointed with not being closer to Capetown, but quickly realized Cinsta was just as fun. It is a cheap taxi ride into East London, and a walk away from a beautiful beach. We got experience with 3 game captures (even a night capture), livestock, and domestic animals, as promised. We are currently building a mobile clinic so that will significantly add to your experience. It is refreshing to see that we are able to help build the program while we're there. There was never a point where I felt in danger, even with the lack of street lights. I miss all the stars. Bottom line, if I didn't have to come back and get knee surgery I would have extended my trip hands down. The people were unparalleled as well as the experience.

I truly had the time of my life in South Africa. It’s been an absolute blast and I’ve learned an incredible amount. I’ve had the opportunity to participate in game captures - immobilizing, injecting, and transporting various wildlife species, including zebra, giraffe, and assorted types of antelope. I have worked with livestock (cattle and pigs), injecting, de-horning, pregnancy testing and artificially inseminating. I have also worked with domestics (dogs) in the local villages – dipping for fleas, ticks, and mange, injecting antibiotics to treat distemper/ illnesses/injuries and de-worming. I had the chance to do a lot of hands on work that I would not be qualified to do here in Canada, so it is amazing to have that experience to add to my resume for future veterinary work. Aside from that - we would go out often and party! It was a great balance. We worked hard during the day but were free to do as we pleased on evenings and weekends. It was a ton of fun, all the time. The town of Cinsta is small and comfortable giving it a very "homey" feel. You'll always find your way around and there is easy access to the stores and bars/restaurants. Also, the beach is a 5 minute walk away and is absolutely stunning. I was there for a total of three months and it was fantastic. I was nervous when I first arrived. Nervous that I wouldn't meet people, and intimidated by others experience and my lack of. I now have a great amount of experience in working hands-on with these different types of animals and have gotten to know their temperaments. The people were fantastic. I've made life long friends and it felt as though I was living in a house with my family members. The social aspect was incredible as well. I got to know the locals and it was as if I'd lived there for a much longer amount of time. I am planning to visit all of my South African friends in December of this year. I was absolutely devastated when I had to leave - going to the airport was unbearable. I am looking forward to visiting everybody soon - it was a life changing experience that I will remember all of my life.

The wildlife game captures were the most enjoyable because it was hands on and I was able to practice veterinary tasks. Overall my experience was incredible. I thoroughly enjoyed the work we were doing and all the people I was able to work with. I found the pre-vet experience very rewarding and felt as though I learned a great deal.

My most memorable experience was watching a goat give birth to a baby, while the day before I did a pregnancy check on a cow. It was the most surreal experience seeing the creation of life and how we as volunteers, helped the lives of animals, and improved their welfare to be able to live happy, healthy lives.

What I enjoyed the most during my stay in South Africa was the variety of animals that we worked with and how much the vet let us contribute (in ways that likely wouldn't be allowed in the US) and I lucked out and had a great group of people to volunteer with :D

I cover my experience in more detail in my blog post. However i thoroughly enjoyed my time in Ghana from the people to the history to the food it truly was unforgettable. My highlights of my trip are; -Getting to interact daily with all the kids -Meeting people from all over the world -The location -Becoming part of the community

I've worked on the program in Cape Town for 4 weeks in the month of July. It was absolutely amazing, the staff working there were always available to help us and try to make us have the best experience possible and they were really friendly at the same time. The program was complete and above my expectations; we had the chance to play and have classes with the kids as well as build a new playground, help the community moving from a site to another or teach the kids surfing and other sports and we could choose what to do according to our preferences. We could also choose among 3 different sites to work in, including a school for disabled children. The satisfaction of making a change in someone's lives, the kids' enthusiasm and all the amazing people I had a chance to meet over there,both the other volunteers and the staff who work there which were always available to help us whenever we had a problem or a doubt

I will miss the people, made some really good friends in just 2 weeks. South Africa is a wonderful place. Initially, I was disappointed with not being closer to Capetown, but quickly realized Cinsta was just as fun. It is a cheap taxi ride into East London, and a walk away from a beautiful beach. We got experience with 3 game captures (even a night capture), livestock, and domestic animals, as promised. We are currently building a mobile clinic so that will significantly add to your experience. It is refreshing to see that we are able to help build the program while we're there. There was never a point where I felt in danger, even with the lack of street lights. I miss all the stars. Bottom line, if I didn't have to come back and get knee surgery I would have extended my trip hands down. The people were unparalleled as well as the experience.

I was there for a total of three months and it was fantastic. I was nervous when I first arrived. Nervous that I wouldn't meet people, and intimidated by others experience and my lack of. I now have a great amount of experience in working hands-on with these different types of animals and have gotten to know their temperaments. The people were fantastic. I've made life long friends and it felt as though I was living in a house with my family members. The social aspect was incredible as well. I got to know the locals and it was as if I'd lived there for a much longer amount of time. I am planning to visit all of my South African friends in December of this year. I was absolutely devastated when I had to leave - going to the airport was unbearable. I am looking forward to visiting everybody soon - it was a life changing experience that I will remember all of my life. I truly had the time of my life in South Africa. It’s been an absolute blast and I’ve learned an incredible amount. I’ve had the opportunity to participate in game captures - immobilizing, injecting, and transporting various wildlife species, including zebra, giraffe, and assorted types of antelope. I have worked with livestock (cattle and pigs), injecting, de-horning, pregnancy testing and artificially inseminating. I have also worked with domestics (dogs) in the local villages – dipping for fleas, ticks, and mange, injecting antibiotics to treat distemper/ illnesses/injuries and de-worming. I had the chance to do a lot of hands on work that I would not be qualified to do here in Canada, so it is amazing to have that experience to add to my resume for future veterinary work. Aside from that - we would go out often and party! It was a great balance. We worked hard during the day but were free to do as we pleased on evenings and weekends. It was a ton of fun, all the time. The town of Cinsta is small and comfortable giving it a very "homey" feel. You'll always find your way around and there is easy access to the stores and bars/restaurants. Also, the beach is a 5 minute walk away and is absolutely stunning.

Overall my experience was incredible. I thoroughly enjoyed the work we were doing and all the people I was able to work with. I found the pre-vet experience very rewarding and felt as though I learned a great deal. The wildlife game captures were the most enjoyable because it was hands on and I was able to practice veterinary tasks.

The South Africa - Pre-Vet Wildlife Internship was one of the best experiences of my life. I went into the program not really knowing what to expect. They give you as much detail as possible, but since the program is constantly evolving and incorporating new veterinary opportunities, it's hard to say exactly what you'll be doing. This was nerve-wracking for my family and friends, but to me it was thrilling! I arrived in East London and was transported to the volunteer house in Chintsa, South Africa where I would be staying for the next three weeks. Each week and day was different and you honestly never had any idea if the day was going to stay as planned or not. Some days we would go to the East London Zoo and do various enrichment projects for the animals there, other days we would go to the local clinic to watch surgeries or view cases happening there that day, and other days we would spend all day capturing two giraffes. We also had overnight trips to Kei Mouth, Cathcart, and Hogsback where would stay at lodges or homes and work a couple of days in the local townships. While in the townships we would clean out infected wounds, inject animals for internal and external parasites, and dip dogs. One day, we had a man ask us if we could inject his 200 sheep. That was the day I learned how to flip a sheep and it was also the day that I fell in love with sheep. Getting down and dirty with the animals was a thrill, but they also make sure that you go out and experience South Africa and all the beautiful places it has to offer. On my days off, I went zip lining, quad biking, pet a tame giraffe, went to a resort, had nights out on the town, did a wild boat ride, visited the beach that is a 3 minute walk from the house, and so much more. Each and every day was entirely different from before and I wish I could explain them all in immense detail because each of my 21 days there was the best day of my life. I can't say it enough, but this trip changed my life. A part of me will forever remain in Chintsa and wouldn't have it any other way!