Shadow wildlife experts. Encounter new cases. Sharpen your skills.
This is more than a veterinary placement. It’s a chance to immerse yourself in the world of African wildlife veterinary practice and animal care, and learn specialist techniques involving species such as zebra, buffalo, giraffe, rhino, vulture and antelope.
Assisting an experienced wildlife vet on real casework in the field and clinic, you’ll develop a wide range of practical skills - including giving injections, testing for pregnancy, cleaning and stitching wounds, drawing blood, disease diagnosis, enrichment strategies, feeding routines, restraint techniques, animal monitoring, and dealing with unusual cases such as snake bites, canine distemper, parvovirus and biliary.
Whether you’re a qualified or student vet, vet nurse or vet tech, your role will be tailored to your career path and level of experience - so you can learn and contribute in the best possible way.
Vet work in the African bush is a completely different experience to work in a European clinic. I have come home with new skills, incredible memories, and friends for life.
I was able to compare the clinic in South Africa to the one in America where I work every day. It was awesome to see the different products they used, and the different procedures they did on small animals.
I cannot recommend these projects enough to anyone in or considering the veterinary field. They provide an authentic look into wildlife medicine in South Africa while allowing you to practice animal husbandry in a hands-on way.
I would definitely travel with ACE again, and I’d love to volunteer at the variety of projects that they work with in the future! I feel like I could return time and time again and never stop learning.
We highly recommend African Conservation Experience to travel with for wildlife volunteer projects because they offer great learning opportunities; whether it’s for someone looking to go into the vet field, or someone just interested in wildlife in general.
We got to assess all of the radiographs with the Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick for cranial cruciate ligament disease. It was so, so special, and my timing was just incredible and both the orphanage and Noel were amazing throughout.
Veterinary students assisting with a leopard relocation
Veterinary internships in Africa
Swap the clinic for a safari vet internship
If you enjoy the thrill of saving and enriching animal lives, how about saving the lives of some of the most endangered species in the world? Not everyone will have rubbed shoulders (quite literally) with lions, buffalo, wild dogs and birds of prey on their journey to becoming a vet, vet nurse or vet tech. A wildlife vet internship in Africa offers you the chance to work alongside some of the most experienced professionals, learning a range of practical skills to suit your level of experience and career focus, including wildlife health and conservation issues, international veterinary medicine and treatment, and animal care and rehabilitation.
Working together in the wild
Across all of our veterinary internships in Africa, collaboration is at the heart of wildlife care. Whether you're assisting with the emergency treatment of an injured antelope or supporting the rehabilitation of an orphaned rhino calf, you'll see first-hand how vets, vet nurses and vet technicians each play a critical and complementary role.
In South Africa, wildlife cases unfold in a range of environments - from remote bush locations to more controlled clinical settings. You might find yourself in the middle of a game reserve, drawing blood from buffalo to check they are free of bovine tuberculosis. On another day, you could be working in a fully equipped wildlife rehabilitation centre, assisting with the treatment of a vulture suffering from a wing injury. No matter the setting, professional vets depend on the support of skilled vet nurses and vet techs to keep procedures running smoothly; managing sedation, prepping equipment, monitoring vitals, ensuring aseptic technique, and assisting with recovery and follow-up care.
These moments highlight the vital collaboration that defines every wildlife vet internship and reflect the challenges and rewards of wildlife medicine. That’s what makes our wildlife vet tech internships and vet student internships so distinctive. You're not shadowing from the sidelines. You're part of the team.
FAQs
Who can join vet internships abroad?
Our veterinary internships abroad are open to a wide range of people pursuing careers in animal care. Whether you're a vet student, vet nurse, or vet technician, we’ll match you with an internship that suits your background and training level. We also welcome students preparing to apply to vet school and have a more general vet volunteering page that can provide pre vet internships abroad, plus we can provide experiences for qualified professionals, and our dedicated EMS page is suitable if you're looking for tracked hours to support your university's criteria.
What should I expect in a vet student internship?
As a safari vet internship student in South Africa, you'll become part of a small, close-knit team working directly with some of the region’s most experienced wildlife veterinarians. It is not a classroom or simulation - it’s real veterinary work. You could assist with a variety of procedures, from administering injections and stitching wounds to drawing blood, running diagnostic tests and monitoring sedation. Because every animal treated is a real patient, procedures are only performed when genuinely needed and always in the best interests of the animal or to aid sustainable conservation. The tasks you take on will reflect your skills and experience, as well as the nature of the cases that arise during your placement.
Will I receive a reference at the end of the internship?
Yes! At the end of your veterinary internship abroad, following your workplace learning, you can request a reference letter.
What are the best veterinary internships in Africa?
Our Africa veterinary internships are based in South Africa, where you’ll work in game reserves, local clinics, and wildlife rehabilitation centres, each offering a different view into the world of conservation medicine. Every case is different, and the landscapes you work in - whether savannah or bushveld - add another layer of richness to your experience. Every internship is also different, and we are happy to discuss with you the best one for your requirements.
How do I join a wildlife vet internship?
Take the first step by simply submitting an enquiry form. We offer ethical veterinary internships tailored to your interests, experience level, and career goals. You can even combine multiple programs to create an exciting Combined experience. You can find out more about how we take time to create a customised African Conservation Experience that’s just right for you here.
We can't wait to speak with you about the opportunities to join a hands-on Africa veterinary internship!
