Veterinary Careership - Guatemala

Help care for injured animals while gaining hands-on veterinary experience at this wildlife reserve in northern Guatemala. This is an ideal opportunity for you to complement your veterinary studies or career in a unique wildlife environment. You will be based at a Wild Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre, which is situated on 45 hectares of forested land in the Mayan Biosphere Reserve, and is home to a number of species including parrots, macaws, spider and howler monkeys, margays, ocelots, coatimundis, taras and kinkajous. Nearly all of these animals have been seized from smugglers and are very young, needing constant care and attention.

As a result, much of the veterinary work carried out at the Centre involves emergency and trauma medicine at our quarantine clinic. Before coming to the Rescue Centre, it is important to familiarize yourself with techniques of avian trauma and paediatric medicine. It will also help if you understand concepts of avian and wildlife nutrition. While the majority of the cases are birds (psittacines), there are also reptiles and mammals.

Please note that although we do perform medical procedures on the animals, opportunities to take part in such procedures waxes and wanes with the number of animals we receive and their conditions, and we cannot guarantee beforehand that you will be able to participate in such procedures. Generally, our most active period is during the months May-July. However, even during the slow times you can make the most of your time at the Rescue Centre by focusing on practical physicals, cage design, enrichment options, project design or becoming involved with outside community programs.

Your stay at the Rescue Centre will involve more than just veterinary work. You will be expected to perform the same types of chores as other volunteers, including house cleaning, cleaning cages, manual labour and kitchen work. In addition to the regular daily feeding and care of the animals, there are usually special on-going activities in which you can participate, including:

* Construction of cages or extra buildings;
* Trail maintenance;
* Gathering of wild foods for the animals;
* Research into the wild diets of the animals;
* Giving tours and creating educational exhibits, and;
* Participating in additional environmental education activities and community projects.

Perhaps the most satisfying work we carry out at the Centre are the animal releases which we carry out 2-4 times per year. You may assist in these releases, but participation depends on space on the vehicles and many of the releases entail time commitments of 1 or 2 weeks.

In your free time you can take advantage of the beautiful surroundings by taking hikes, swimming, or simply taking a well-deserved siesta in the shade.

You will be met at the local airport (connecting in Guatemala City international airport) where you will be taken to the Project HQ.

You will live at the Centre in a spacious two story wooden building situated in a beautiful tropical forest with comfortable wooden bunk beds, "western" shower and toilet facilities and US-style 110 electricity. Volunteers eat and socialize at a separate spacious kitchen/dining room rancho and enjoy a very nice floating dock for late afternoon swims. There is internet service available at the Centre.

Internships are arranged on an individual basis. Candidates should initially send us a short essay explaining their personal motivation for participating in the program, work plan and a CV (using the online form below).

* No minimum or maximum age
* Minimum 3 months commitment
* Basic - Intermediate Spanish (Lessons available)
* Full travel & medical insurance
* Necessary vaccinations
* Necessary flights & visas

Fee:

 $190 USD Project Fee for the first week ($140 for each additional week) = $1730 for 3 months +  £249 GBP Placement Fee
 

What's Included:

Project Fee includes all accommodation, airport pickup, orientation, 24 hour support and project activities.

We charge a flat, one-off Placement Fee of £249 GBP per person per project. This covers our costs for promoting the project and providing our services. We offer full pre-departure support (for all necessary flights, visas and vaccinations) and ongoing assistance throughout your placement.
 

What's not included:

Food (you should budget around $5 per day) flights, insurance, visas (if applicable) and vaccinations. Full assistance will be provided in getting all these sorted.