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Texas A&M Education Abroad Opportunity

African Wildlife Medicine (AWM)

This experience gives students an appreciation for the role of veterinarians in large landscape wildlife conservation medicine and develops skills they can apply to wildlife health and sustainability issues. Experts guide participants through animal restraint, drug administration, field surgery, and darting. Other experiential learning could include interaction with crocodiles, buffalo, and rhinos.

QR Code linked to the 2025 Texas A&M Education Abroad African Wildlife Medicine program application

Faculty: Dr. James Derr & Dr. Walter Cook

Eligibility: Undergraduate, graduate, and veterinary students are eligible.

Learn more and apply for the 2025 cohort.

Video Title: Texas A&M Education Abroad: African Wildlife Medicine Kudu Care Recap

Video Description: Anna, a Texas A&M AWM Summer 2023 cohort student, recaps the veterinary care provided to a Kudu male.

Video Dialog:

  • Interviewer: “Okay, Anna, what did we just do?”
  • Anna: “So, we just darted and captured a kudu male and then we did some treatments for him. I gave him some vitamins and some injections and as well as put an ear tracker on his ear. So, yeah. It’s really fun.”

Credit: All students must take 4 credit hours to participate.

  • VTPB 948: Didactic Elective: African Wildlife Medicine (4 credit hours)
  • VTPB 485: Directed Studies: South Africa (4 credit hours)
  • VTMI 689: Special Topics in African Wildlife Medicine (4 credit hours)

Past Cohort Facebook Pages

LEARN MORE ABOUT VMBS EDUCATION ABROAD PROGRAMS
A partially immobilized cape buffalo bull is escorted out of the bush by some motivated students and capable South African guides. When working with immobilized horned species, students quickly learn to keep their elbows locked and bodies at arm’s distance from the horns.
We strive to push students out of their comfort zones and inspire them to accomplish things they would otherwise never have a chance to attempt. Here, a veterinary student is focused on injecting additional drugs into a white rhino who woke up a little early.
Over the two-week course, students are exposed to about 20 classroom hours of instruction on topics ranging from wildlife pathology to capture drug pharmacology and parasitology. The dining room at Seringa Lodge also serves as our classroom.
Wildlife breeding facilities are an important component of comprehensive conservation strategies for many species. In 2023, students had the opportunity to assist in semen collection from this adult lion under the supervision of a South African veterinarian.
Giraffe capture is one of the most difficult and dangerous activities in the course. The animals are big, strong, and athletic. They can kick further than any other animal on Earth. They also tend to run long distances while resisting the influence of capture drugs. Most of the time, we end up slowing them down and eventually using ropes to bring them safely to the ground.