Loving Life in Limpopo

The concept of studying abroad was a foreign one to me at the start of my college career. In my mind, my time spent at Texas A&M would be spent in comfy and familiar College Station, and for over half of my undergraduate journey, this remained true. I was comfortable completing classes that were challenging but in a familiar environment. One day, I received a generic informational email regarding a VMBS study abroad opportunity in South Africa. The email promoted a chance to spend two weeks in South Africa working with local veterinarians on large game animals. Prior to this point in time, my career goals were to attend a veterinary school (preferably Texas A&M) and become a small animal veterinarian, and due to the vast difference between the dogs and cats that I wanted to work with and the large animals that would be the focus of the trip, I initially passed on the email and continued about my week. Throughout the rest of that week, something kept gnawing at the back of my mind: a desire to explore the world and form memories that would last a lifetime. Eventually, after more research and multiple conversations with others, I took the biggest jump of my life and applied to the African Wildlife Medicine Study Abroad.

Following my application, I had a Zoom interview with Dr. James Derr, and soon after, I was accepted into the largest leap of faith in my life thus far. Prior to traveling across the world, it felt unreal. I attended multiple meetings during the spring semester that described what we would be doing and emphasized the importance of tick sprays and proper equipment for the harsh African environment. All of this build up formed two varying mindsets in me. On the one hand, this upcoming trip continued to feel unreal. I had never taken a leap like this before and a part of me still thought that I wouldn’t. On the other hand, every meeting served to make me more and more excited for the trip of a lifetime that I had signed up for. This created a semester-long buildup of excitement and desire to explore the world tempered by a solid amount of disbelief.

Finally, after filling out international forms, extensive packing, and double and triple checking my passport, the day arrived to fly to Africa. The journey was a brutal 14.5-hour flight filled with attempts to sleep and the typical airline food. Then it happened: I landed at O.R Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa and everything that I had been preparing the last few months for became an instant reality! I met up with the group that night and I learned a bit about the students I would be spending my time with. Of the 12 students on the trip, there were 5 veterinary students and 7 undergraduates that were split between 5 Animal Science majors and 2 (including me) Biomedical Sciences majors. I was also in the minority regarding the fact that there were 10 women on the trip and only 2 men. We were also joined by Dr. James Derr as our experienced leader and Dr. Keith Chaffin as our guest professor. I went to bed that night looking forward to the adventures to come.

We spent the first two days of the trip exploring the area around Johannesburg on tours. We had the opportunity to explore Soweto and see the Hector Pieterson Museum, the house of Nelson Mandela, and the Apartheid Museum. It was quite interesting to learn about the history of South Africa along with its journey towards equal rights. We also were fortunate enough to visit the Cradle of Humankind Visitor Center and Lesedi Cultural Village. At the cultural village, I had the opportunity to meet members of various local tribes, such as the Sotho, Zulu, and Xhosa, and learn about their culture and traditions. It was amazing to catch a glimpse into the rich and beautiful culture that is in South Africa. The various tribes had such a wide array of similarities and differences that each had a rich history and beautiful presentation.

After a wonderful look into my home country for the next two weeks, the other students and I were driven three hours north into the province of Limpopo. At the end of our journey, we arrived at Seringa Ranch, a beautiful lodge with acres upon acres of land surrounding it. Seringa was an extraordinary blessing to have as our home base. The food from Lizzy, the cook, was divine, and the grounds were breathtaking: hills and trees with herds of giraffes, buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, and antelope walking around.

From that point on, it was a whirlwind of activity. Most days were spent working with local veterinarians either at Seringa Ranch or at other large game ranches in the area. I had the privilege to work with the amazing veterinarians Dr. Beverly, Dr. Roper, and Dr. Glyphis throughout the trip. They were able to share their expertise in large game immobilization and allowed all of us students to collect hands-on experience with injections and treatments. I was fortunate to be able to give injections to a zebra, draw blood from a Cape buffalo bull, inject medication in an eland, and help transport lions. The days were packed with information and things to do. One day we worked with 8 different lions and another we worked with 3 black rhinos! The veterinarians were also excellent at explaining their thought process and the medications that were used. I was able to learn so much more about sedatives, transportation techniques, safety, and other medications than I ever thought I would on this trip.

One highlight of the trip came early in our stay at Seringa Ranch. Due to the dangerous nature of the animals and the difficulty in approaching them, the veterinarians would mostly shoot a dart gun from a helicopter at the game animals to immobilize them. Early in the week out at Seringa, we were able to practice shooting the dart guns at targets to get a feel for them, and later, we had the opportunity to go up in the helicopter and shoot at a moving target: a rubber bullseye attached to the back of a small vehicle. I had the time of my life while up in the air. Quintus, our pilot, flew the helicopter in such a way that was breathtaking. We were darting every which way with the wind flying into your face until we approached the target. Then, Quintus matched the speed of the vehicle perfectly, and he lined up the shot for you to make it as easy as possible. It quickly became clear that everyone we were working with was a trained professional. 

The time spent with the wide variety of animals was something that I will never forget, but we also had a chance to experience some other parts of Limpopo. One day, we had the opportunity to meet Dr. Prozesky who led us through a field necropsy where we were able to see the various organ systems of an impala. We also were taught by Marius Koekemoer, a snake catcher, who educated us on the snakes in the area and even let us hold some! Additionally, we were able to spend some time in the two nearest towns of Lephalale and Vaalwater where we were able to experience more of the South African culture including a braai, a South African barbeque. 

All in all, my time spent in South Africa was a life changing experience. Upon returning home to Texas, not much had changed for the two weeks that I was gone, but I had changed immensely. I had grown in appreciation of wildlife medicine, culture, and travel. Additionally, I even gained ideas regarding my future plans. While I still have an interest in small animal medicine, I have discovered a greater wonder and curiosity for the large and exotic side of veterinary medicine. Through the memories that I created and all the wonderful people that I met; Africa will have a place in my heart for the rest of my life. I have a greater appreciation for wildlife and the work that goes into keeping them safe and healthy. I also never expected to find such a love for the culture and people of South Africa. Being able to spend two weeks with some of the nicest people I’ve met allowed me to change my perception of the world for the better. Now that I am back at Texas A&M University, all I can do now is start to plan my return trip to Africa.