Wildlife Capture, Care & Conservation

A dream come true "This was, and will forever be, one of the best experiences of my life! Getting to do veterinary work in one of the most spectacular places in the world with some of the world's most incredible animals was a dream come true and I'll treasure the memories forever. As well as the lectures, which were always really well delivered and super interesting, we also got to do all sorts of amazing practical things to prepare ourselves for the capture work, including practicing darting, riding in a helicopter, darting from a helicopter, practicing our injections in the back of a moving truck, and tracking cheetah. And then there was the capture work itself which was out-of-this-world level of fun, I never wanted it to end! Riding in the back of a pickup truck with a black wildebeest's horn in one hand and two syringes in the other, heading across a South African reserve at crazy speeds with an R44 helicopter flying right over our heads, on our way to collect another wildebeest that had just been net-gunned is something I will never forget and I can't wait to have more experiences like that again throughout my career as a vet. We also had lots of time to relax and take part in some other really fun activities outside of the course work, such as a horseback safari, surfing, visiting a wildlife ranch where we got to interact with young cheetahs; and game drives in which we got to see and get incredibly close to some of South Africa's most iconic animals, such as rhinos, zebra, various antelope species, giraffe, hippos, elephants and buffalo. The lodge where we were based was such a nice place to stay. Gathering round the fire as a group to chat and laugh was something we looked forward to every night, and I particularly enjoyed making use of the pool table... and the bar. The beds were super comfy and the food was absolutely delicious for every meal. The whole team at VetX are some of the nicest, most wonderful, incredible and fun people you could ever meet. Hein and Jo are awesome teachers, I knew I was learning from the best and they made me feel confident in my abilities which is something I find incredibly challenging even at the best of times. I owe them so much for all the good they did for me - everything they taught me and all the confidence they gave me has spurred me on even after leaving and it will stay with me for a very long time to come. I can't thank VetX enough for giving me this once-in-a-life time experience that has given me the chance to make a dream come true and has taught me so much about the wildlife veterinary world in South Africa and also about myself and what I am capable of. I am so grateful for the skills, knowledge and memories that this course gave me; they have made me a better person and I know they will help me become the great vet I hope to be."