Wildlife Veterinary and Game Farming Course

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Project Type: Wildlife Veterinary Science, Conservation Project, Extra Mural Studies.

Location: Western Cape, South Africa.

Pick Up Point: George Airport.

Duration: 12 Days.

Price: from £1,499.00

Start Dates: 2017: Please contact us for course dates. Start dates throughout the year

Accommodation: Guest House centrally located to project

Meals: Three meals per day included, semi participation.

Age Range: 16 Plus.

FURTHER INFO

Due to the nature of the course, activities can vary depending on weather conditions, wildlife emergenices and other factors that dictate the work of a wildlife vet. With this said, there are still the main course principles that will be covered during your time on the course:

– To gain invaluable experience through exposure to practical and hands on skills in the wildlife veterinary field
– Expose participants to behind the scenes veterinary Wildlife Ranching and Conservation
– Wildlife ranching versus wildlife breeding projects
– Immobilisation and capture techniques used for various wildlife species
– Wildlife ranching and conservation challenges.
– Develop their animal handling skills across a range of African Wildlife Species
– Develop their understanding and gain further experience of medical treatment of wildlife
– Care and Hand raising of wildlife orphans
– Appreciate the importance of herd health in intensive wildlife breeding.
– Gain experience of a variety of veterinary wildlife and conservation working environments
– Vegetation types suitable for wildlife ranching
– Tracks and tracking of Big Five on 50 000 hectare reserve
– Conservation perspective from Cape Nature Conservation

Possible Veterinary Activities
-Preparing and loading darts: correct methods to minimize risks
– Darting simulation and practice shooting exercise for students.
– Wildlife immobilization on a wildlife ranch : Darting Buffalo or
– Sable or smaller antelope.
– Helicopter darting of large Wildlife species : buffalo , black wildebeest , other antelope.
– Giraffe capture; specialized procedure when available.
– Net gun capture from helicopter: Demonstration for smaller antelope : impala
– Mass capture of wildlife: Boma capture. Setting up, wind direction, terrain considerations , other planning.
– Logistics of wildlife transportation: Customised vehicles , crates and equipment.
– Parasite( internal and external ) monitoring and control in wildlife.
– Faecal sampling and processing plus microscope identification
– State Veterinary disease control in practice. Notifiable disease sampling and control hands-on : Tuberculosis , Foot and – – Mouth, Brucellosis, Corridor Disease. Documentation required : Red cross permits.
– Wildlife breeding management ( sable antelope, buffalo, rhino big cats, ostrich) . Visit and exposure to Sable, Buffalo, – – Lion, Cheetah, Ostrich breeding projects.
– Calculating doses for darting wildlife
– Administering medications
– Darting practice
– Visit to Ostrich farm and hatchery
– Buffalo routine visit: measurements, health checks, parasite treatment, foot trimming, Pregnancy diagnosis.
– Ostrich handling and vaccination
– Attend emergencies (stitch up’s, wound treatments, escaped animals, dystocia)
– Translocation of wildlife
– DNA testing and blood sampling of wildlife (Bontebok)
– Mass capture of antelope
– Post Mortem of a wildlife species.
– Visit to Sanborna Nature Reserve
– Laboratory work; identifying parasites from samples, microscope worm, blood smears, egg floats.
– Toxic plant identification
– Visit to Taxadermist

Emergency cases: distokia, injuries, lethargy, loosing weight : diagnostics, immobilizing, treatment.

Small five (Meerkat and Big five(elephant, Rhino, Lion) exposure

Theory and Lectures for Chemical and Physical Restraint of Wild Animals
– Veterinary aspects of wildlife conservation (General overview of conservation and why we have to manage animals)
– Immobilisation and capture of wildlife (Mass capture/sail system/net gunning/ individual darting)
– Game Farming (value, logistics, trends)
– Pharmacology used in Wildlife (Drug classes and names and doses used and applications)
– Transportation and Tranquilisation
– Equipment needed in wildlife veterinary (equipment needed plus safety in the field)
– Capture related problems (Stress, hyperthermia, bloat, aspiration, capture myopathy, shock, 11 commandments)
– Talk from representative from Nature Conservation
– Species specific anatomy and problems (Giraffe, Elephant, ruminants, rhino, carnivores)
– Diseases and parasites of wildlife
– Toxicosis in wildlife
– Boma management
– Ostrich farming

Extra Curricular Weekend Activities ( Additional cost for own account)
– Beach visit and sleep over in beach front cottage on Garden Route blue flag Wilderness beach
– Whale watching (in season)
– Shark cage diving
– Crocodile cage diving
– Visit Knysna lagoon
– Raptor rehabilitation and awareness Centre