Vet Visions
Zimbabwe
This exciting 2 week course allows pre-vet students or anyone with an interest in vet-care, sanctuary care, or just plain animal lovers to explore a mix of conservation and veterinary care in Zimbabwe. We will take you on an exciting journey from the capital through to Bulawayo and along the way you will get hands on experience from vaccinating cattle to caring for orphaned animals within private game reserves and animal sanctuaries throughout the country.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS
Come into contact with iconic Zimbabwean wildlife such as elephants, lions, leopard, hyena and so much more!
Visit the Zimbabwean university for a day
Assist in the day to day care and upkeep of animals within a sanctuary
Hands-on vaccinations, assisting on farms, and deworming
Work alongside local vets and animal caregivers within different communities
Perfect for people interested in zoology, wildlife, and sanctuary care
Explore Zimbabwe as opposed to being stationed in one place
Project video
This course is designed to open your eyes to the culture, community, and lifestyle of various locations within Zimbabwe. With a limit of 10-15 in each group – one-on-one learning is made possible. Covering a wide area you will be exposed to the care of livestock in rural areas, sanctuary care for orphaned animals, anti-poaching control within a game reserve and so much more! Set in Zimbabwe, you will be in contact with African animals such as elephants, lions, leopard and other iconic species throughout your trip. We have laid out a route destined to keep you hungry for more with a fast paced and well scheduled itinerary intended to take advantage of every moment of your trip. Explore Africa from a different perspective with both the wild and domesticated taken into account.
KEY ACTIVITIES
During your trip, you will carry out the following activities. Our trip is always subject to slight change, and alterations in the plan may alter a little depending on which animals are most in need of care and attention.
Vaccinating and tick-dipping lions
Bandaging and treating horses
Lameness assessment in horses
Pregnancy diagnosing and dipping cows
Supporting the local dog shelter
Visiting different veterinary clinics
Visiting the local vet school
Rhino tracking
Supporting conservation and animal welfare in Zimbabwe
The trip either starts in Harare and crosses west to finish in Bulawayo, or starts in Bulawayo and crosses East to finish in Harare. Regardless of which way to take the trip, our visits will be to the same places and the work, teaching, and activities will always be relevant, fun and support the local community and conservation. Below is an example of the Harare to Bulawayo directional trip.
DAY 1 - Arrive at the airport together. Head to our lively social hotel and enjoy some time getting to know your team, swim in the pool and head out to our first dinner together.
DAY 2 - Visit a local charity vet clinic and learn how animals are prepared for surgery, how medicines are administered and spend time with the rescued dogs treating them for ticks and deworming them.
DAY 3 - Visit the University of Zimbabwe to see how students in Africa undertake their education.
DAY 4 - Visit a local animal shelter in the morning to learn how dogs and cats are rescued and develop an understanding of shelter medicine. In the afternoon we visit a wildlife rescue centre to meet the elephants, giraffes, zebra, monkeys and more and take notes on how rehabilitation in action is saving animals in Africa.
DAY 5-Drive west to a wildlife rescue center. Lunch on arrival. Take the endangered pangolin for a walk and a conservation talk. Help clean cages and feed the young animals, before "bedding them down" for the night.
DAY 6 - Assist in sanctuary work- tick dipping lions, an antipoaching / snare sweep, enclosure maintenance, assist in caring for orphaned animals, equine work, take pangolins for a walk.
DAY 7- Morning travel to our next farm based in a wildlife reserve. Deworming horses, talk on parasites and equine breeding. 3pm prepare and set up camera traps. Late afternoon game drive and on the way back we search for hyenas and leopards. Dinner followed by a bonfire.
DAY 8 - Morning spent injecting, deworming, and treating cattle. Learn about the cattle breeding program. An afternoon spent on the chicken farm with lessons on avian care and medicine. Early afternoon bush walk and learning how to track wildlife then collect cameras from the night before and look for the presence of carnivores.
DAY 9 - Community day- We will spend the day in the local community, where we will learn how those in the rural areas care for their livestock, spend some time with the local children, and join a local family for lunch in their rural setting- this is a chance to immerse yourself and gain a great understanding of local Zimbabwean culture within rural areas.
DAY 10 - Move on to a new animal rescue centre that specialises in primates. Meet the monkeys, learn about their nutrition, then prepare food and behavioral enrichment.
DAY 11 - Take the rehabilitating baboons for a walk in their natural environment, learn about the best ways to rehabilitate different species, and the role of biologists and vets.
DAY 12 - Excursion into Matobo National Park. The park is home to a number of rhino. We will be spending the day in the park with professional rangers who are going to teach us how to track rhino- a once in a lifetime opportunity with the species so close to extinction. Being set in a national park we are able to view other wildlife on our quest to find the rhino- immersing ourselves in the African bush. A historical tour of the park including a visit to centuries old cave paintings.
DAY 13- Morning feed and health checks. Baboon bushwalk. Enrichment building etc any medical work needing to be done. An afternoon of reflection.
DAY 14 - A fond farewell as you head to the airport for your departure.
Project Photos
ACCOMMODATION
The nomadic style of our trip will allow you to experience 5 different locations including animal sanctuaries, private wildlife reserves, and private concessions. In Harare, our hotel is in a safe area of the city, close to the shops, markets, and some great restaurants, so you will get a true feel of life in Zimbabwe as a local and enjoy the lush gardens and swimming pool in your free time. As we head across the country we dive deeper into the wild, staying in lodges that are situated in the middle of game reserves.
There are no dangerous wild animals roaming in the areas we stay, so you can explore and relax, enjoy a drink on the raised deck overlooking the river, admire the night stars sat around a fire, or stay up to listen to the call of nocturnal animals. In Bulawayo, you will stay on-site at an animal rescue center with the orphaned animal nursery just a few meters away from your rooms. The farms where we work are welcoming and will immerse you in the real experience of vetting and animal management in Africa. Each location will have shared rooms, hot and cold running water, good bathrooms, and nice common areas where we enjoy home-cooked meals, bonfire evenings, and good vibes!
LOCATION
Zimbabwe is based in the middle of Southern Africa. It is renowned as being the best place to see wildlife because there are considerably fewer tourists, and the nature reserves are much more wild and free. It is home to Victoria Falls, one of the 7 wonders of the world, being the largest waterfall in the world. There are some of the largest national parks in Africa, the largest man-made lake in the world (Lake Kariba), beautiful cities, rolling grasslands, endless horizons and cultural diversity. “Zimbos” (as they call themselves), are friendly and love showing volunteers their way of life, culture, and history.
The project will see you travelling around Zimbabwe so you will get to experience numerous places including the capital Harare, Gweru town, numerous wildlife reserves, the historical town of Bulawayo and farms exisiting peacefully with nature. One thing is sure, once you visit Africa, it will be "in your blood" and you will want to return again and again for the nature, wildlife, people and fun of living wild.
PROJECT COST:
2024: £2000
2025: £2250
Want to know what’s included? Great news, it is pretty much everything! Including your:
Pre departure planning and assistance from one of our destination specialists
Transfers to and from the airport
Project coordinator with you the ground 24/7
Veterinary and conservation teaching
3 meals a day
Shared accommodation
all transport around Zimbabwe
OUR PRICES EXCLUDE:
Flights to/from Zimbabwe
Personal medical insurance
Visa
PROJECT SPECIFICS
AGE: 18 -25
QUALIFICATIONS: Open to anyone. Designed for those aiming to get onto vet or nursing school. Vet students years 1-3. Nurse students all years. No vets or nurses.
EMS (other)
START DATES
The project has set start dates throughout the year. We can also run private courses if you have a group of 6 or more people for outside of these dates.
Please email us to discuss this.
You will fly in to Harare or Bulawayo airport by 12 noon on your first day and have a flight departing Harare or Bulawayo no earlier than 10 am on your last day.
2024
2nd June - 15th June (Harare to Bulawayo route)
17th June - 30th June (Bulawayo to Harare route)
6th July - 19th July (Harare to Bulawayo route) FULL
21st July - 3rd August (Bulawayo to Harare route)
2025
1st June - 14th June
16th June - 29th June
5th July - 18th July
21st July - 3rd August
Volunteer feedback
Katie Ramsingh
June 2023
"My favorite part of the trip was the hands on experience with the animals"
Andrea Gonzalez
August 2023
"I loved meeting all the lovely people and getting to spend time with the orphaned animals"
WHAT NEXT?
If you want to gain valuable work experience, develop a variety of skills and grow your CV, whilst learning to care for animals and suport conservation, then this project is for you.
To chat to our team, discover availability and have all your questions answered by our volunteer coordinators, just click the "apply now" button, fill in our form, and we will be in touch with you right away.
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