Veterinary internship in Chintsa, South Africa

Planet

Wildlife
Many 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 travelers 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 needs
The 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.

Traveling 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.