Out of Africa, On to Vet School

Most students who aspire to become veterinarians may picture themselves treating cats and dogs, or perhaps large farm animals such as horses or cattle. But for an adventurous few, the Vets in the Wild program offers an opportunity to experience what it’s like working with big game in South Africa.

Diane Harris, a senior Animal Bioscience major in the College of Agricultural Sciences, recently discovered this animal adventure lurking in the studyabroad options on an Animal Bioscience Web site.

“The Vets in the Wild program is offered through the University of Pretoria in South Africa,” says Harris, a native of Lancaster. “Through a series of trips across the South African landscape, from Blyde River Canyon reserve to Kruger National Park, it gives veterinarians, pre-veterinarians, and vet-school students a hands-on taste of what it’s like to work as a veterinarian in the wild.”

While traveling, Harris and 14 other students engaged in many outdoor activities with the animals during the day and night.

“You hear it a lot, but it’s true—the animals really are so much larger in real life,” Harris says. “But they’re also very timid, except for the monkeys. They were all over—a lot like squirrels in America— and would try to grab your food if you weren’t careful. We also encountered warthogs, lions, and even a rare mating pair of lions.

“The animals are actually more active at night, so we decided to go on a night drive,” she says. “During the drive we saw a leopard—a sight so rare that it alone brings people to Africa—and a pride of lions just lounging in the middle of the road.”