Veterinary internship in Chintsa, South Africa
2 weeks costs £1999 with each extra week costing £650.
Includes airport transfers, project transfers, accommodation, food and wifi. 2nd / 3rd student courses available.
3 week intensive £3899.
Description of Veterinary internship in Chintsa, South Africa
Looking for some hands-on veterinary experience, but keen to make a genuine contribution at the same time? This veterinary internship is fantastic for pre-vet and veterinary students, allowing you to get some extraordinary work experience whilst making a great contribution to animal welfare in South Africa.
You will be working alongside a local vet and other animal experts caring for a plethora of animals living in the area, from wild animals to farm animals to pets. The project is divided into three main areas, which you will alternate between throughout your stay:
- Working with wildlife such as rhino, buffalo, lions, antelope and zebra in local game reserves
- Working with agricultural livestock such as beef and dairy cattle, sheep and goats, pigs and chickens
- Working in rural villages and townships to help with caring for dogs and cats in a veterinary clinic
The roaming nature of this project means that no day is the same and your timetable is devised based on the need of the animals in the locality. Tasks can include:
- Immobilisation and tranquilisation
- Game capture
- Animal management
- Animal health and nutrition
- Animal behaviour
- Biodiversity preservation
- Veterinary clinic work
- Inoculations
Accommodation and food
All projects are spent around the coastal town of Chintsa, 40km north of East London. Your base will be in this lovely town, sharing a house with other volunteers just a few minutes from the beach. You will be sharing a room with other participants.
You will receive three simple and nutritious meals per day. Breakfasts are composed of cereals and fruit and lunches are sandwiches. At dinner time you will enjoy a hot home-cooked meal.
Itinerary
| Day 1: | Arrival and orientation day is a Monday. Fly to East London (ELS) for your transfer. |
| Day 2: | Full project orientation and briefings. |
| Weekdays: | You will be working on the project Monday - Friday usually with the weekends free |
| Weekend: | Free for relaxing and exploring |
Price information
2 weeks costs £1999 with each extra week costing £650.
Includes airport transfers, project transfers, accommodation, food and wifi. 2nd / 3rd student courses available.
3 week intensive £3899.
Departure information
Travel guides
Holiday information
Accessibility
Responsible Travel
Planet
WildlifeMany of the tasks that participants will be getting involved in are aimed to improve the welfare of animals across the farms, reserves and clinics. You should expect to see some animals in distress or that have been poorly cared for. Without this project, these animals would not be on the route to recovery, and you can make a genuine difference here. Through this task you will be exposed to South Africa’s animal welfare agencies and you will visit and learn about the challenges faced by organisations such as the SPCA.
Protecting the world
We are passionate about encouraging our travellers to be kind to the environment as they travel. Each participant receives advice about how to care for the environment whilst they are away. This includes water usage, how to avoid single use plastic, and electricity usage.
We insist that all participants bring their own water bottles when they travel with us, and clean free water is always available. We have even created a water bottle that can be purchased before departure and encourage people to use it at all stages of their journey including at the airport, on flights and whilst on their project. We are striving for all of our projects to be free of single use plastic.
People
Meeting local needsThe roaming nature of this project means that game reserve owners, local farmers and local communities all benefit from the presence of the participants. Without this programme many of the animals in the townships would be unwell and weak - this project helps to care for their basic needs so that they can be comfortable and strong. Farm animals are cared for to ensure that lambing and other such activities go well and that the farmers can continue to work on their livelihood. The game reserve owners rely on the vets to sustain the health of the animals in their care.
Helping local communities
Within the grounds of the reserve is a small community, with a school and several other facilities. Participants are encouraged to support it by buying souvenirs from their hand crafted goods. These local workers receive fair prices for their goods and are helped financially by the reserve.
Travelling with respect
Before joining the project you are briefed fully on the reserve, the customs there and how you can respect the locals here. Participants are encouraged to find out more about the history of the location so that they can travel aware.
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