Veterinary internship in South Africa

Join a veterinary programme protecting and tending to animals across the Eastern Cape in South Africa. Work with a local vet caring for a wide range of of animals living in the area, from wild animals to farm animals to pets.

This internship is highly practical, offering a hands-on approach with background instruction. It is a great way to gain experience and put your knowledge into practice. Some prior experience is certainly beneficial, and most interns will at least be working towards their university studies.

There are three main aspects to this project:

• Veterinary work with African wildlife in game reserves
• Veterinary experience on farms
• Veterinary care work in a village veterinary clinic

The mobile nature of this project means that no day is the same. Different issues may arise during your project time, however some of the animal issues in the past have included:

• Immobilisation and tranquilisation
• Game capture
• Animal behaviour, care and management
• Animal health and nutrition
• Veterinary clinic work
• Inoculations

Why do this project?
Veterinary medicine is a competitive discipline, and many people are keen to either build their experience or test the waters before embarking upon a veterinary career. This project is very beneficial in helping you to make decisions about your future in veterinary medicine, as well as helping to learn new things. The programme is incredibly diverse, from the volunteer groups to the type of work that is done.

Project highlights

• Working in a variety of settings - game reserves, clinics, farms and in the community
• Seeing and even working with a wide range of African animals
• Exploring the area in the your free time

Accommodation and food
The volunteer accommodation is located in the seaside town of Chintsa. Volunteers share small dorm rooms and three meals per day are provided. Due to the mobile nature of this project, there may be times when you stay in alternative accommodation if you are attending a veterinary case which is further afield and requires several days of work.

Free time
The project runs Monday - Friday, with weekends free to explore and relax. There is loads to do in the local area, including surfing, horse riding and yoga. The beach is 32km long!

Useful information

• You will be with other international volunteers from around the world
• There is 24/7 emergency support
• You will need travel insurance to be able to join this project - we can offer advice of what to look for in a travel insurance policy