Maybe you’ve been a qualified vet for years or are currently at university in the midst of completing your animal care training. Either way if you’re after a change of scenery, then why not take a break from the norm and shadow our qualified vets in South Africa.

Chances are you originally decided that you wanted to be a vet because of a love of animals, but after a while even the cutest kitten can get a little boring. Treating ‘big’ animals in England usually means administering medication to dairy cows or picking the hooves of horses, which is a world away from the ‘big’ animals that vets in South Africa regularly treat. Some vets in South Africa work entirely on game reserves, which means that they get to treat all manner of exotic animals, from lions with tooth infections to zebras with sprained ankles and even giant African elephants. All of this makes that story about the angry rottweiler you once treated seem pale and exaggerated in comparison.

However, whilst you can’t change the flora and fauna of your native country you can do something about it and take a break from the norm and attend an animal care course shadowing vets in South Africa. This animal care training will also help to fulfil a portion of your Extra Mural Study requirements, which are needed to complete your degree in veterinary science. The animal care course is typically 16 days long and will be undertaken at any number of the following African game reserves: Shamwari, Amakhala, Addo and Bayworld.

All of the game reserves are located fairly close to each other and all have different specialisations. Whilst Addo is primarily a national park for the protected African elephant, Bayworld, located in nearby Port Elizabeth, is an oceanarium, where volunteers undergoing animal care training in South Africa will be asked to perform weekly check-ups of the dolphins and seals.

The two main game reserves that you will visit during your animal care training are Shamwari and Amakhala. Shamwari is an award-winning game reserve that has successfully pioneered the return of many endangered species to Eastern Cape and whilst here, you can expect to see and treat a range of different animals, from the endangered black rhino to lions and hippopotami. The smaller, Amakhala is a private game-reserve, which houses all of the African big five, but is most famous for its giraffe population.

Animal care training alongside vets in South Africa can be incredibly hands-on and whilst you will have ample opportunity to treat wild animals, the animal care course also includes plenty of theoretical work. During your time away you will attend lectures on the discipline of conservation field training as well as studying the positive affects of successful wildlife management within game reserves.

The exotic animals of South Africa make a drastic change from the domestic creatures that you regularly treat back home. But whether you plan a future treating the wildlife of South Africa or a simply looking for a two week break with a difference, attending an animal care course in South Africa is not only rewarding, but also a great way to give something back to the local community.