WorldVets Experience

Hoedspruit, South Africa

Ann Marie Picone from Ross University

Like most vet students, I have known I wanted to be a vet for as long as I can remember. As a child, I also developed a healthy obsession with The Lion King and dreamed of one day traveling to Africa to see all the animals from the movie up close and personal. This summer, I was fortunate enough to fulfill this dream – I completed a two week program with SA WorldVets in Hoedspruit, South Africa. During the program, we worked with Dr. Chris Bosshof, an exotic animal vet who has the largest clientele in South Africa. We worked with a variety of hoofstock including impala, inyala, sable, rowan, and cape buffalo. We even got to assist with capture and relocation of three giraffes! He also taught us about the different darting methods and drugs used to immobilize wildlife, and we got to shoot a dart gun on the ground and in the air from a helicopter! Our work days were long, but we did have other “excursion” days where we took part in more tourist activities like touring Kruger National Park, visiting Moholoholo Animal Rehabilitation Center, and driving the Panorama Route. This trip was truly a life changing experience and I recommend it for anyone considering a career in zoo and wildlife medicine!