The Traveling Vet Girl

I remember the first time I saw a “wild” animal.  I was in kindergarten at the Tyler Zoo in Texas and my most vivid memory was watching the giraffes from a balcony.  I wanted to get closer so badly! I ate my lemon Popsicle and imagined what the long-necked creature would feel like if I could touch it. That feeling never went away, and largely inspired my desire to become a veterinarian. So imagine my excitement when I signed up for a course with Wildlife Vets during my second year of vet school in none other than South Africa!

I first learned about Wildlife Vets through classmates while in veterinary school in St Kitts. They offered popular courses on conservation medicine and chemical immobilization, which filled up quickly. Amazingly I secured a spot in the April 2013 session. It fit perfectly into my semester break, much like my World Vets trip. I was ecstatic! My dream to work with wild animals was coming true, and I was going to AFRICA too! Oh, how 5-year old me would have never believed it!

First off, the trip to South Africa was LONG.  I first had to fly from St Kitts to New York. From there, it was a 15-hour flight to Johannesburg, one of the longest direct flights in the world. I didn’t sleep a wink. I watched movies, walked the aisles, and thoroughly had cabin fever. But I kept telling myself it would all be worth it – I was going on the trip of a lifetime!

My group consisted of about 15 students from Ross, and we stayed at a game lodge near Nelspruit. While there, we shadowed the resident veterinarians. They managed cases on site, and we often times went out on assignment to tend to other animals on different reservations. Many wild animals in South Africa are kept within large owned pieces of land, much like Kruger National Park.

I worked with many animals during my two-week stay in South Africa. Here are my top 5 favorite animals I encountered during my Wildlife Vets course!

Rhino

During the first week, we tended to an injured rhino at our lodge. He had gotten into a fight with another rhino and sustained some injuries, including a suspected pelvic fracture. We anesthetized him in order to take x-rays of his hips to see the extent of his wounds. He was safely monitored and was given antibiotic and vitamin injections.

A few of us were also able to perform a rectal exam on the rhino.   You know you’re among vet students when someone asks “Who wants to do a rectal exam?” and 15 hands go up! And with smiles on our faces!

Wildebeest

Two researches were completing a project on stress levels in wildebeests during our stay.  Because of this, many of our days started at dawn immobilizing the animals to take blood samples, place monitoring collars, and even transport a few wildebeest from other locations. They definitely weren’t initially on my must-see list of African animals, but the wildebeest grew to have a special place in my heart after working with them for days on end!

Also, this might be the coolest picture of me, ever – in the back of a moving truck with a wildebeest’s very dangerous horns in between my legs – ha!

Sable Antelope

While one could argue that wildebeest are fairly ugly, the same can’t be said about sable antelope.  They are beautiful!  We had the opportunity to provide veterinary care to a local herd.  We drew blood for research samples while they were anesthetized, and then dewormed them and applied tick prevention!

Crocodiles

I was able to get up close and personal with a few crocodiles that lived on the game lodge where we stayed. It was feeding time, and I gladly threw some fresh meat to the hungry crocs!

Giraffe

And finally, my inner 5-year old was satisfied when I was able to touch a wild giraffe! On our first day at work, we were called to a nearby park because one of their giraffes had injured its leg.  We anesthetized the injured giraffe and were able to repair his mangled leg (it had been caught in barbed wire). Seeing this magnificent creature up close, as well as my entire South African adventure, was a dream come true!