African Vet Conservation Volunteer
South Africa
This exciting course takes you across South Africa, working in a number of wildlife reserves in need of veterinary support. If you have a passion for wildlife and an interest in veterinary medicine, this experience is designed for you. The course is highly practical, allowing you to be hands-on in all areas of animal capture, translocation, and veterinary work. You won’t just be sitting and watching–you will be actively participating, planning, and assisting in a small group to ensure a high-quality learning experiences.
Project Highlights
Work alongside wildlife vets and game capture teams
Participate in darting, surgery, game capture, and internal medicine for wildlife
Combine lectures, practicals, and clinical work to enhance your knowledge
Get hands-on experience to improve your skills
Perfect for those interested in zoo, wildlife, or exotic veterinary medicine
Work with iconic species such as rhinos, elephants, buffalo, leopards, and lions
Stay in a beautiful safari reserve and immerse yourself in the African bush
Project video
Course Overview
This course is designed for you if you are studying veterinary medicine, veterinary technology, nursing, zoology, or conservation. Through a combination of classroom learning and hands-on experience in wildlife capture, you will gain the confidence to plan, execute, and understand the logistics of wildlife veterinary work. If you are considering a career in exotics, wildlife, or zoo medicine, this is an excellent foundation.
To ensure a personalised and intimate learning experience, the course is capped at 10 participants. Your project coordinator, Hein Schoeman, brings 14 years of wildlife expertise to the programme. Hein and the vet team will guide you through this exciting journey with patience and enthusiasm. You will join us as a friend and leave as part of the family.
As part of the programme, you will also receive a free 20-module online course, which is to be completed before you arrive.
Course Structure
The course follows set start dates throughout the year and lasts for three weeks.
Week 1: You will focus on field training, lectures, and practical work, gaining the skills and knowledge needed for the weeks ahead.
Weeks 2 and 3: You will dive into hands-on veterinary and game capture work, applying what you’ve learned in real-life scenarios.
You will work Monday to Friday, with weekends off to relax or explore. During the week, you will engage in both lecture-based and practical training in the following areas:
Ethical considerations when working with wildlife
Wildlife physiology and pharmacology
Stress and capture-related death
Safety and first aid in the field
Principles of chemical and physical restraint of wild animals
Helicopter use in wildlife work (including hands-on darting practice from a helicopter)
Chemical immobilisation techniques and methods of darting
Ballistics and projectile darting systems
Clinical Work
You will be living in one of the most renowned and well-managed wildlife areas on the planet, where wildlife management, rescue, and care are as varied as they are exciting. From routine procedures to high-paced emergencies, you will be involved in a range of essential tasks, such as:
DNA sampling for species such as Bontebok, Impala, Sable, and Roan Antelope
Moving zebra, impala, and giraffe between game reserves
Rhino dehorning to combat the illegal poaching trade
Darting lions or elephants for medical treatment (e.g., snare or fight wounds)
Immobilising buffalo and antelope to measure horn size for animals being sold
TB testing in buffalo
Microchip implant insertion for carnivores
Fitting collars to animals for research tracking
Transmitter darting for animals in thick bush or at night
Administering mineral and vitamin injections via darting
Deworming herbivores and performing routine husbandry care, such as hoof trimming and dipping
Every day, you will gain extensive experience in all aspects of wildlife management, treatment, and medicine. A typical game capture day may involve capturing over 50 animals, each requiring blood and faecal samples, identification tags or spray applications, multivitamin injections, and drug reversal at the correct time. Under the expert guidance of the head vet, you will take on these tasks, ensuring you work with a large volume of animals and develop essential hands-on skills.
There is no such thing as a “normal” day. Your first few days will serve as an induction, where you’ll participate in bush walks and game drives to familiarise yourself with the environment and the animals you’ll be working with. You’ll also visit the helicopter hangar for a flight, meet the local rhino herd, feed hand-raised giraffes, attend dynamic lectures, and visit a reptile park to practice animal handling and husbandry.
Most mornings will start at 7am with a quick breakfast before heading out early to beat the heat. After breakfast, you’ll set off for the reserve, where you will spend the day conducting game capture with a packed lunch. If an animal requires surgery, the start time may be later, giving you the chance to enjoy a hearty breakfast before assisting in transporting the animal to a veterinary hospital for treatment.
After a day’s work, you’ll have time to unwind and bond with your fellow participants. You can enjoy movie nights, party nights, stargazing trips, or simply relax with a drink at the honesty bar while playing card games. The staff, who live in the house next door, often join in, making for a welcoming and social atmosphere.
Throughout the course, you’ll primarily shadow a core team of wildlife vets during game capture and lectures, but on occasion, you may join other specialists to gain insight into unique and exciting cases. Our wildlife veterinary team is passionate about teaching, ensuring you are actively involved and learning every step of the way.
Project Photos
Accomodation
Volunteers are accommodated in shared, single-sex rooms on the Goedmoed Reserve. It’s not uncommon to spot wildlife such as giraffes, zebras, and antelopes passing by the house. The reserve features a welcoming, farm-style kitchen and a shared communal area with a TV, DVD player, and board games. Outside, there is a bar and fire pit where you can enjoy sitting under the African stars.
For accommodations outside of Goedmoed, you’ll stay in comfortable farmhouses or lodges, which may be powered by solar energy or electricity. Living on an African reserve is a truly unique experience, with the sounds of lions, zebras, leopards, and hyenas echoing through the night.
Location
The project is located on the southeastern coast of South Africa, well known to many as the Garden Route. This area, famous for its rolling hills and picturesque landscapes, lies between the Outeniqua Mountains and the Indian Ocean. It's a malaria-free zone teeming with wildlife, making it the perfect backdrop for our veterinary and game capture teams, who are busy year-round.
Upon arrival at George Airport, you’ll meet your project coordinator, Hein Schoeman, and your fellow participants. The project is primarily based at Goedmoed Reserve, but when the work requires it, we may spend nights at various game parks, lodges, or wildlife rescue sanctuaries.
Project Fee
2025 & 2026 (3-week course): £3,370
Week 1 focuses on field training, lectures, practical work, and equipping you with the skills and knowledge needed for the rest of the course. Weeks 2 and 3 are centered on hands-on veterinary and game capture work.
Special Diets: In order to cater our famous South African menu to all people, please note there is an additional £15 charge per week if you have a special diet, such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten intolerance etc.
What’s Included:
Great news, it is pretty much everything!
Pre-departure assistance with trip planning from one of our destination specialist
Transfers to and from the airport
A hard copy of "Chemical and Physical Restraint of African Wild Animals – Third Edition"
Access to the online course to be completed before arrival
24/7 project coordinator support on the ground
All entry fees to national parks and reserves
Ground transportation related to the project
All meals during the course
WiFi in the accommodation
Shared rooms
Laundry service once a week
What's Not Included:
Flights to/from South Africa
Required personal medical insurance (optional: trip/flight/luggage insurance)
Visa for South Africa (free for many nationalities)
Any extra activities or alcoholic beverages (we recommend budgeting £500 for the 3-week course)
Project Specifics
Age: 18 - 45
Qualifications: Open to clinical-year vet students (vet/nurse/tech) and qualified professionals.
CEMS, CPD, CE Credits
Fitness Requirements
Due to the isolated nature of our locations, and the demanding nature of our work, a certain level of fitness is required to join this project. While we try to make our work as comfortable as possible, there are times when physical tasks are necessary to ensure safety and efficiency.
As such, you should be able to:
Climb up and down from a high pickup truck
Comfortably run 50 metres
Walk 3 kilometres over rocky and uneven ground
Not suffer from severe or unmanaged depression or anxiety
If mental or physical challenges prove problematic to safety, attendees will be required to sit out of activities, and in severe circumstances, we reserve the right to terminate a stay based on incorrectly or undisclosed disabilities. If you have a history of physical injuries, disabilities, or mental health conditions and would like to discuss your fitness to attend, we encourage you to apply and highlight this in your application form. We’re more than happy to have a conversation with you, and always do our best to be inclusive and accommodating.
Start Dates
If the dates available for this project don't work for you and you want a wildlife vet project in Africa, check out our SOS Wildlife for vet or nurse students, or Vet Visions if you are a pre-vet student or yet to begin your studies.
The project has set start dates throughout the year, with arrivals on Sundays and departures on Saturdays. Private courses can be arranged for groups of 6 or more participants on alternative dates.
2025 dates:
18 May - 7 June (FULL)
15 June - 5 July (FULL)
13 July - 2 August (FULL)
10 August - 30 August (FULL)
7 September - 27 September (FULL)
12 October - 1 November (6 spaces left)
2026 dates:
30 August - 19 September
4 October - 24 October
WHAT NEXT?
We want you to join us in South Africa to enjoy the experience of a lifetime and to gain ample hands-on experience with African wildlife. Just hit the "apply now" button and fill in the form.
Project Fees
Volunteering is a rewarding experience that makes a real impact on animal welfare and provides a chance to learn and travel to beautiful places....
booking conditions
Worldwide Vets aims to provide you with an easy booking experience and the a trip of a lifetime. As such, we have terms and conditions we ask you to abide by when booking a project with us...
PAST feedback
Aydia Wyckoff
August 2023
“The best part was the professional organization of this project. The whole team was super supportive of answering questions and ensuring everyone's safety the entire time. It was a learning experience, but it was also encouraged to enjoy the time there and getting to experience Africa. 10/10 would recommend to anyone wanting to experience the Africa wildlife. Definitely want to try and go again down the road!"
Olivia Helgesson
July 2023
“Best part was that when working in the bush with animals, the livingstone team was extremely helpful. I was comfortable with asking them questions and help, which allowed me to learn many new things and this was fantastic. I arrived to this project without any prior experience in this field and left with so much veterinary knowledge, and for that I am very thankful!!!
It was also very fun to meet different veterinarians and interesting to see how they work."
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