Spend a whole month in beautiful South Africa working with big cats, primates, birds of prey, reptiles, and more in this special 4-week program.

Combine two of our programs to explore South Africa and works with its wildlife. Half of the program is based at Lory Park Animal and Owl Sanctuary in South Africa. Lory Park is one of only six zoos in Africa accredited by the Pan African Association of Zoos and Aquaria, with a focus on education and conservation. Your program will focus on understanding the anatomy, handling, and medical needs in captivity, behavior, and conservation of six main groups of animals at the park: birds of prey, reptiles, big cats, small cats, cubs, and primates. Your work with and coursework about these animals will be supplemented by veterinary labs such as necropsies and lectures from veterinarians and expert guests. In addition, we will spend a weekend on safari in Kruger National Park.

The other half of your program is spent volunteering at Cango Wildlife Ranch, a big cat conservation facility also accredited by the Pan African Association of Zoos and Aquaria. Students will be learning about African wildlife while working with Loop vets right alongside the cats themselves. Though the volunteer facility isn’t a hospital, you will be gaining valuable experience learning and implementing the important work conservation and zoo vets do.

Who It’s For

This program is designed for university-aged students who are interested in becoming veterinarians or working professionally with animals. Participants must be at least 18 years old. Most are 18 to 25, but we also accept full-time undergraduates over 25.

There are no pre-requisites for this program. You do not need to be in school currently to apply. Individuals of any nationality may apply.

Each group of up to 12 students will have its own veterinarian and on some dates, multiple groups will share site staff.

Highlights

• Study big cats such as white and tawny lions, Siberian tigers, pumas, and leopards
• Assist the zoo vet team in providing care such as vaccinations and deworming
• Participate in training, feeding, and upkeep of a variety of species
• Support enrichment and training for primates, including gibbons and lemurs
• Learn about Lory Park’s research project on black-footed cats
• Feed and help provide medical care to animals throughout the program
• Maintain and care for captive animals and their enclosures
• Learn about all aspects of care and management of captive wildlife
• Go on a safari through Kruger National Park, one of the largest national parks in the world and home to almost 150 large animal species (more than any other game reserve in Africa) including lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and buffalo
• See a variety of wildlife each day that calls the African savanna home
• Visit a cultural village while at Kruger