The veterinary internship in South Africa will take place in the following African reserves:

• Mpongo, a famous reserve with the Big 5 (lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalos and leopards).
• Sabati is an area suitable for conservation and is being developed with a recent introduction of wildlife.
• Matola is a nature reserve located in the Kubusi Valley. The NGO has also recently started a conservation project in this reserve with a combination of activities related to safaris.

Like all of our animal internship programs abroad, this project in South Africa allows students to gain university credits while contributing to the conservation of the region’s wildlife.

Our internship on a nature reserve in South Africa is both theoretical and practical.

It includes three aspects of the veterinary profession:

1. Monitoring and observation of wildlife in the reserve.

2. Surgical care of livestock in local farms.

3. Caring for domestic animals in the surrounding villages.

There are many pets that lack care, animal rights are far from being a priority on the social agenda of South Africa. The work is therefore particularly demanding, but this placement with specialists is intended to provide you with the best possible experience in all three areas of activity.

Learning Areas

Wildlife on a nature reserve

Participants of the veterinary internship in South Africa will spend approximately one third of their time in the wild (game reserves). Theoretical and practical learning will include the following:

• Health and safety.
• Immobilisation and sedation of animals.
• Capture and transfer of animals (normally at least once during the course, but this will depend on the season and ongoing activities).
• Management of animals in the reserve.
• Protection of ecosystems and biodiversity.
• Threats to wildlife.
• Poisonous and venomous animals.
• Animal health and nutrition.
• Livestock

Project participants will visit several livestock farms to gain a variety of hands-on experience, and will actively participate in the care of the animals. Topics covered in class and in the field are:

• Health and safety.
• Animal health and behaviour.
• Immobilisation, sedation and injections.
• Animal management.
• Protection of biodiverse ecosystems.
• Animal health and nutrition.

Pets

You will also have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in pet care through visits to rural villages. In South Africa, domestic animals are often vulnerable and mistreated, living in very difficult conditions. We are therefore making this a priority. As a volunteer or intern, this is also the area where you can get most involved. The training (theoretical and practical) covers the following elements:

• Health and safety.
• Community education and understanding of domestic animal management in the South African context.
• Animal health and behaviour.
• Immobilisation, sedation and injections.
• Animal health and nutrition.

You will also have the opportunity to work in collaboration with national animal welfare agencies, such as the SPCA (South African Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), whose activities you will discover in the field.

Your role as an intern

You will participate in a demanding animal management program. Of course, you will have some great moments releasing healthy animals into the wild or tracking buffalos and elephants. But some days can also be exhausting, especially when you will be in charge of securing hiking trails or looking for traps set by poachers. You will have a busy time working in the field, but you will also be expected to assist the caretakers in their daily and routine maintenance tasks.

In any case, all the tasks you will be given are of great importance to this conservation and environmental project. This veterinary training course in South Africa is anything but a safari, there is no question of going there to relax or to do tourism!