Wildlife Veterinary Internship in South Africa

INTERN

CONSERVATION

Treat and Protect Wildlife as a Wildlife Vet Assistant

Get hands-on, incomparable experience in all facets of wildlife capture and wildlife veterinary procedures in beautiful South Africa. If you wish to learn more about being a wildlife veterinarian while making a positive impact on wildlife conservation, this is definitely the place for you!

This program is designed for people either already qualified as vets, someone that is in the process of becoming a vet (preferably minimum third-year student), or veterinary nurses who are looking to gain hands-on experience in all facets of wildlife capture and veterinary procedures. However, with the right experience, others may be considered.

Project highlights

  • Gain Experience

Work alongside wildlife veterinary professionals, receiving theoretical and practical knowledge.

  • Pharmacology

Learn the fundamentals of darting and drug administration.

  • Wildlife Capture

Learn to move wildlife with minimal stress and resulting side effects.

  • Game Reserve Living

Live on a private game reserve with other international students.

Mossel Bay, South Africa
Available: Year Round
Duration:
3 Weeks
Price From $3,895
This cost covers your accommodation, meals, project fees, transfers, 24/7 support and in-country orientation.

Project impact areas

Here’s how you will create significant impact through the Wildlife Veterinary Internship in South Africa.

CONSERVATION

Game Capture Practices

You’ll also dive into the practical aspects of wildlife veterinary work. Utilizing helicopters in wildlife work for capture and management, hands-on experience with restraint tools, applying ancillary treatments to support wildlife health during capture and care as well as best practices for safe capture, handling, and transportation of wild animals and post-capture boma management protocols and procedures for animal recovery and acclimation.

U.N. Sustainable Development Goals

1. No poverty

2. Zero hunger

3. Quality education

4. Gender equality

CONSERVATION

Pharmacology

Learn basic and applied pharmacology, the principles of chemical restraint and how to use drug-injection equipment. Your experience will also include working with dart projectors and practical dart gun training on practice targets.

U.N. Sustainable Development Goals

1. No poverty

2. Zero hunger

3. Quality education

4. Gender equality

CONSERVATION

Theoretical Knowledge

During the course, you will delve into theoretical aspects of working with wildlife in South Africa, including legal and ethical considerations for responsible wildlife work, basic animal physiology to understand and care for diverse wildlife species, principles of pharmacology and understanding of stress factors to minimize animal capture-related deaths.

U.N. Sustainable Development Goals

1. No poverty

2. Zero hunger

3. Quality education

4. Gender equality

Accommodation & Meals

Mossel Bay, South Africa

A circle of people enjoying a fire pit, sharing warmth and camaraderie.
Your home away from home in Mossel Bay is a comfortable farmhouse base on South Africa’s Garden Route, with shared rooms and relaxed communal spaces to unwind after field days.

Our farmhouse is based in the Mossel Bay area along the Garden Route in the Western Cape of South Africa. Depending on the season, we work from there and travel around the Western Cape. Sometimes work brings us to the Eastern and Northern Cape as well. Captures take place all over South Africa during our winter months so our accommodation will vary depending on locations. Accommodation away will be in comfortable farmhouses, tents, and lodges with either solar power or electricity.

We serve three meals a day. Meals will either be served on the farm or brought with us depending on our activities.

Breakfast is a self-serve continental breakfast (toast, cereals, muesli, yoghurt, fresh seasonal fruit, juice, tea and coffee). Lunch is typically a mix of sandwiches, wraps, salads, quiches and pasta-salads. We aim to make most of dinner meals over a fire and serve traditional South African meals like braai, bobotie with rice and vegetables, potjiekos (traditional stew) as well as popular hits like lasagne and build-your-own-pizza in our pizza oven.

Life at the Base

Mossel Bay, South Africa

Discover an extraordinary project set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Langeberg Mountains, located on South Africa’s coveted Garden Route. This exclusive haven beckons with its unparalleled natural beauty – dramatic coastlines, lush indigenous forests, winding rivers, and a vibrant symphony of wildlife. Explore a world of scenic wonder and temperate tranquility. Immerse yourself in the region’s rich tapestry of adventure, from hiking through ancient forests to kayaking along the sparkling coastline.

The Garden Route is dotted with charming towns, each with its own unique character. Relax in Plettenberg Bay, explore the shops and restaurants of Knysna, or go surfing in Jeffreys Bay.

South Africa has a number of different cellular network providers, for which SIM cards can be purchased from most shops or at any airport. Various packages allow for phone calls and/or data usage. Power and electricity supply can be intermittent in South Africa so do bring your power banks and embrace patience if you encounter an outage.

Most people arrive in either Cape Town (CPT) or Johannesburg (JNB) Airports on international flights. From there you will get a domestic flight into George airport. Your Sunday arrival date should be the date the project starts and your departure date, the Saturday that the project ends. If you need to arrive earlier or later let us know and we can suggest good backpacker style accommodation and hotels in the area.

Hein Schoeman, the Project Coordinator has dedicated the last 18 years of his career to the wildlife industry. He has countless of captures under his belt and has worked with and treated most African wildlife species. His personal experience and ability to teach and share his knowledge makes him a great asset to the course.

Josephine Skaarup is a highly passionate Danish qualified veterinarian, a January 2022 course alumni, who later began running the course together with Hein. She shares her knowledge and skills openly and together with Hein she mentors and assists to ensure that every student gets the maximum practical exposure.

At African Impact, our long-term success depends on working to ensure the safety of our volunteers, interns, staff and local communities. With this in mind, we are continually committed to providing high-quality internship opportunities in Africa. We follow the philosophy that a safe and healthy work environment is a fundamental and top responsibility of ours. From the moment you arrive in South Africa to the end of your adventure, we take the utmost care in ensuring your comfort and safety as you carry out your internship.

Project Destination

Picture yourself amidst the turquoise waters and endless white-sand beaches of this East African gem. Our base in Zanzibar is located in the heart of Jambiani, a picturesque fishing village on the island’s southeastern coast. We’re all about embracing island life, and each week we spend an evening with a local family so you get to taste the real Zanzibar; just imagine incredible homemade dishes after a day of teaching in the community!

On the weekends, you can try your hand at kitesurfing, scuba diving and snorkelling on the coral reefs that are teeming with marine life, sea fishing or just a leisurely boat trip on one of the local Dhow boats which dot the horizon each evening.

Communication

South Africa has a number of different cellular network providers, for which SIM cards can be purchased from most shops or at any airport. Various packages allow for phone calls and/or data usage. Power and electricity supply can be intermittent in South Africa so do bring your power banks and embrace patience if you encounter an outage.

Flights & Arrivals

Most people arrive in either Cape Town (CPT) or Johannesburg (JNB) Airports on international flights. From there you will get a domestic flight into George airport. Your Sunday arrival date should be the date the project starts and your departure date, the Saturday that the project ends. If you need to arrive earlier or later let us know and we can suggest good backpacker style accommodation and hotels in the area.

Staff

Hein Schoeman, the Project Coordinator has dedicated the last 18 years of his career to the wildlife industry. He has countless of captures under his belt and has worked with and treated most African wildlife species. His personal experience and ability to teach and share his knowledge makes him a great asset to the course.

Josephine Skaarup is a highly passionate Danish qualified veterinarian, a January 2022 course alumni, who later began running the course together with Hein. She shares her knowledge and skills openly and together with Hein she mentors and assists to ensure that every student gets the maximum practical exposure.

Safety

At African Impact, our long-term success depends on working to ensure the safety of our volunteers, interns, staff and local communities. With this in mind, we are continually committed to providing high-quality internship opportunities in Africa. We follow the philosophy that a safe and healthy work environment is a fundamental and top responsibility of ours. From the moment you arrive in South Africa to the end of your adventure, we take the utmost care in ensuring your comfort and safety as you carry out your internship.

...the joy of making a real impact...

“I saw this project as an opportunity to experience African wildlife at a level most tourists would never dream of and I was not disappointed! From the very first day at the game lodge, I was involved in darting and relocating cheetahs and from then on I was involved in feeding and tracking cheetahs, feeding baby caracals, game counts, general maintenance work, and even x-raying a lioness! The program runs Monday to Friday and on the weekends, you are free to travel as you please!”

Natalie Jayne

Project gallery

staff - 017
staff - 017
wildlife capture - 005
wildlife capture - 005
gallery - 002
gallery - 002
game reserve living - 007
game reserve living - 007
gallery - 008
gallery - 008
game capture - 010
game capture - 010
gallery - 010
gallery - 010
gallery - 011
gallery - 011
gallery - 012
gallery - 012
gallery - 014
gallery - 014
gallery - 005
gallery - 005
gain experience - 003
gain experience - 003
gallery - 001
gallery - 001
conservation efforts - 006
conservation efforts - 006
destination - 008
destination - 008
communication - 015
communication - 015
climate - 016
climate - 016
gallery - 003
gallery - 003
Load more

Pricing

Rates

USDGBPEURAUD
DurationProgram Fee
3 weeks$3,895 ($1,299 per week)
3 weeks£3,120 (£1,040 per week)
3 weeks€3,585 (€1,195 per week)
3 weeks$5,765 ($1,922 per week)
Enquire Now

Inclusions

  • Cottage style accommodation
  • Breakfast, lunch and dinner (Mon - Sun)
  • Laundry service
  • Airport transfers on arrival and departure
  • All project transport, equipment and resources
  • Support from experienced local and international staff
  • Full orientation for responsible project contribution

Exclusions

Price excludes flights, visas, insurance, weekend tours and associated meals, as well as personal expenses.

Requirements

  • The minimum age to join this project is 18 years old
  • The minimum stay for this project is 2 weeks
Enquire Now

Award-winning Volunteer and Internship Projects Since 2004

Enquire now

Volunteering in Africa means travelling with purpose- joining meaningful community or conservation projects, where you pay to cover your stay and project costs, turning your trip into an immersive, impactful experience rather than a traditional holiday.

"*" indicates required fields

DD slash MM slash YYYY

STEP 2 - When would you like to join us?

Give us an idea of your travel plans - you can choose ‘I’m not sure yet’ if you aren't sure about your preferred start dates.

STEP 3 - How long do you want to stay for?

Please note you are not required to pay this amount at this stage.
Please tick the box to agree to communicate with us:*
By clicking submit below, you have agreed to our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.
SMS & WhatsApp Opt-In*
By opting in to SMS and WhatsApp communication, you give consent to receive text messages from African Impact that will assist in booking your placement. You can opt-out at any time by texting STOP.

Project faqs

What Does A Typical Day Look Like?

No day is the same! Often, we will only know about capture operations and procedures a few days in advance and sometimes we will get a call and must leave in 5 minutes, so it’s fast paced and exciting. We try not to give the students too much information and want to keep it a surprise. Throughout the week we weave in lectures around the practical exercises and game drives.

Will I See Wild Animals Up Close?

Yes, both through hands-on experience when carrying out capture operations and treating animals but we also do game drives on local Reserves where you will encounter the majority of South African wildlife!

Do I Need Any Experience Or Qualifications To Participate In This Project?

Yes, this program is designed for people either already qualified as vets, someone that is in the process of becoming a vet (preferably minimum third-year student), or veterinary nurses who are looking to gain hands-on experience in all facets of wildlife capture and veterinary procedures. However, with the right experience, other volunteers may be considered.

Enquire Now

Our favourite weekend activities on the Garden Route, South Africa

Weekends are usually your time off to explore the surrounding areas and we are more than happy to assist with bookings and inquiries of activities at your own expense or you can relax at the farmhouse. Usually groups enjoy doing activities and weekend excursions together.

Tsitsikamma National Park

Explore the majestic national park with ancient forests and towering yellowwoods over 800 years old. Hike, kayak the calm Storms River, or experience the ultimate adrenaline rush with a jump off Bloukrans Bridge, the world’s highest commercial bridge jump!

Whale Watching

Go on a whale watching adventure! Set sail from vibrant coastal towns like Mossel Bay or Plettenberg Bay during the winter months (May to November) and witness the awe-inspiring spectacle of southern right whales and humpback whales migrating along the coast. Southern Right Whales are wonderfully playful and you might get to spot mother and calf swimming together!

Jeffreys Bay

World-renowned for its perfect waves, Jeffreys Bay is a surfer’s paradise. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or want to try your hand at riding the waves, Jeffreys Bay offers exhilarating surf spots like ‘Supertubes’. Feeling adventurous? Sign up for a lesson and learn the basics of surfing or stand-up paddleboarding (SUP)

You may also be interested in these other conservation projects