South Africa – Jordan Auld (2024)

The first two days of the course were spent in Johannesburg learning about the city’s culture, history, food, and people. One place we went was a town called Soweto where we had the opportunity to interact with locals living in a poorer area of the country. I will never forget how kind and giving these people were and how excited they were to teach us about their home, which became a common theme throughout our journey in the country. Another place we visited that had a major impact on me was the Apartheid Museum. This museum laid out the history of apartheid from the beginning to the present day. It was shocking to see how this system shaped South Africa so recently in its history. We also went to a place known as Lesedi that taught us about the different tribes that all live in South Africa. Seeing these cultures blend together in one place was genuinely moving. They all had different foods, dance styles, customs, traditions, and languages and yet they still lived together in harmony. I will never forget the feeling of walking through these three places because they highlighted everything South Africa stands for. They are a diverse people that are all so in love with their home that it is infectious and will make anyone love it if they listen.

After two days in Johannesburg, we made it to the Seringa Ranch lodge where we would spend the majority of our time. Over the next two weeks, we treated lions, cheetahs, black rhino, cape buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, eland, sable, nyala, gemsbok, waterbuck, and kudu. One of the coolest moments was when we got to work on a pregnant black rhino. Throughout the trip, we learned a lot about the poaching of rhinos and the impact it has had on their population, so getting to help keep a pregnant one healthy was beyond rewarding. Another amazing moment was when we got to help facilitate the movement of cheetahs to a different country in Africa. The people we worked with explained that since cheetah numbers are so low, they have to move them around to ensure genetic diversity and, hopefully, get their populations thriving again. While working with every species on this trip was truly amazing and a once in a lifetime experience, these opportunities to help preserve black rhinos and cheetahs is something I will never forget. It was also interesting experiencing medicine on the other side of the world. In our Agents of Disease class at the vet school, we learned about almost every parasite imaginable. One of these parasites was the Old World Screwworm, but our professors told us it was eradicated in the U.S. and we did not spend much time on it. On our very first day working with animals in South Africa, the veterinarian handed me gloves and some paper towels and told me to get the Old World Screwworms out of an eland’s ear. While it was absolutely disgusting, I thought it was the coolest experience ever because we had just learned that these parasites are not found in the U.S. and here I was helping treat an eland for them. Helping and caring for these animals was an experience I will never forget. (Picture 2 – Me auscultating a cheetah’s heart, Picture 3 – Our group posing for a photo with the pregnant black rhino we just treated)

During our time in South Africa, we met some of the most caring and giving people ever. The people we met essentially dedicated two weeks of their lives to get to know us and make sure our stay was as comfortable as possible. One of my favorite stories to describe how selfless these people are is on our second day, we practiced shooting moving targets from a helicopter. To do this, one of the ranch employees offered to drive an armored golf cart around while we tried to shoot a target on the back with dart guns from a helicopter. We had known him all of 24 hours and he was more than willing to do this for us, which is crazy. We also worked with three different veterinarians on this trip and they were all so excited to teach us about their profession and get to know each of us. I still think these are three of the coolest people I have ever met. They are all so passionate and play such a large part in the preservation of species in South Africa. The people I met during my time in South Africa are truly some of the most caring, kind, and selfless people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I still keep up with all of them on Facebook and plan on returning to see them sometime. (Picture 1 – Our student group at dinner after a long day of work)

While I expected to learn a lot about veterinary medicine and South African culture on this trip, I did not expect to learn as much about myself as I did. I learned that I am capable of so much more than I initially thought. After my first year of vet school, I was able to place a suture on a lion, help calculate drug protocols, auscultate heart and lungs, perform physical exams, and more. It was my first time seeing how much I learned in one year of school alone and I was shocked at how knowledgeable I was. I also learned that I have a large passion for wildlife and conservation medicine. Before this trip, I just wanted to do mixed animal general practice, but now I am interested in finding ways to incorporate what I learned in South Africa into my future career. My experience in South Africa was truly life changing. It has altered my career trajectory and ignited new passions in me that I never knew were there. I will forever be thankful for this experience.