Veterinary Careership - India

Aspiring and practising vets or simply dog-lovers are invited to Kochi, a major city in the western Indian state of Kerala, on the Arabian Sea. Here you will have the opportunity to work with stray dog populations who suffer ill health, poor treatment and are often killed.

People often assume that street dogs live mostly happy lives, playing with fellow pack members and sleeping in the midday sun. Yet there are a number of problems associated with street life. Simple bite wounds easily become infected, fractures caused by traffic accidents heal incorrectly and lead to deformity, and diseases become fatal without the proper vaccination. And when strays are killed or forcibly removed from an area, new dogs arrive and the population becomes unstable and aggressive.

The organisation you will be working with aims to stabilise and decrease the stray dog population through sterilisation, which will keep the population largely non-aggressive. You can help perform their successful and humane scheme of sterilisation and inoculation which includes creating a nick in the area to show that the animal is safe.

While It is illegal to kill a stray animal in India, bribery and legal loopholes have allowed this cruel activity to remain commonplace, particularly in the state of Kerala. You can help the organisation educate residents on stray and wild animal awareness issues through speaking at local schools and clubs.

You will work at a centre in the heart of the tea plantations and hills of Kerala, where the organisation is setting up a long term home for terminally ill, old or injured animals. There are numerous activities you will become involved in, much of it depending upon the day to day needs you will encounter.

You can also work with our animal ambulance in the city of Kochi, tending roadside injuries and treating beach and street animals (cows, cats, dogs and occasionally elephants). The ambulance leaves early in the morning to check known cases in beach and street areas; picking up and treating as needed.

Besides dealing with dogs and cats, a typical case load can include an elephant which damaged its foot during a temple festival, helping rescue a cow that has fallen into a well, an owl hit by a truck, or assisting injured goats or monkeys. The case load can be very varied and differs widely form day to day.

You will be met at Kochi international airport and taken to your accommodation.

You will stay in a comfortable double en-suite room in the organisation's home or a homestay, depending on your preference and availability. We can also arrange for basic or luxury hotel accommodation.

Vets, veterinary staff and enthusiastic volunteers urgently needed. Anyone with IT skills are very encouraged to apply.

* Min age 21

* Minimum 2 weeks commitment - 30+ hours a week

* Enthusiasm and interest to work with animals, big passion for helping strays

* Conversational English and/or Hindi

* Full travel & medical insurance

* Necessary vaccinations

* Necessary flights & visas

Fee:

 £249 GBP Placement Fee
 

What's Included:

Free 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 £5-10 per day) flights, insurance, visas and vaccinations. Full assistance will be provided in getting all these sorted.