Australia Pre-Vet Wildlife Medicine
Two weeks studying zoo medicine with koalas, kangaroos, echidnas, wallabies, and more at the Walkabout Wildlife Park outside Sydney, Australia.
Apply NowProgram Overview
This exclusive NPVC program takes you to the Walkabout Wildlife Park in Calga Springs outside Sydney, Australia, a ZAA-accredited (the Australian equivalent of AZA) conservation facility home to over 200 animals on 80 acres. Since 2005, Walkabout has pursued the goal of conservation through education.
You'll study zoology, wildlife care, and zoo veterinary medicine with native Australian species. The program combines veterinary lectures, hands-on labs, and field work with the animals, all supervised by a teaching veterinarian. This is a study abroad program and all students participate in lectures, labs, and assignments.
What You'll Learn
- Anatomy, behavior, and veterinary care of Australian wildlife
- How to design and implement goal-oriented enrichment projects
- Hands-on veterinary labs including marsupial necropsies, suture labs, and hematology/diagnostics
- Health checks on kangaroos, koalas, pythons, echidnas, and more
- Treatment rounds with Australian wildlife
- Capture, restraint, and anesthesia techniques
- Zoonosis and infectious disease control
- One Health principles in a wildlife setting
Lecture topics include Behavior and Enrichment of Captive Animals, Diagnostics and Necropsy, Biology and Veterinary Care of Australian Marsupials, Reptiles and Birds, Toxicology, and more. Labs include ranger assistance, behavioral observations, nocturnal spotlighting, species handling, necropsy, suture lab, and physical exam labs.
Animals at Walkabout
The facility is home to an incredible range of Australian species: free-ranging macropods (kangaroos, wallaroos, wallabies, bettongs, pademelons), possums and sugar gliders, Tasmanian devils and quolls, bandicoots and potoroos, echidnas, wombats, emus, various parrot species, predatory birds including kookaburras and tawny frogmouths, dingoes, flying foxes, and reptiles including pythons, dragons, skinks, and turtles. Many are endemic to Australia and access to them in a learning environment is not available anywhere else in the world.
Beyond the Park
The program includes two days exploring Sydney, including a visit to the world-renowned Taronga Zoo with a behind-the-scenes hospital tour from a Taronga vet team staff member, a scenic ferry ride across Sydney Harbor, and free time to explore the city. There's also a day trip to Terrigal Beach with a coastal walk and a marine center visit including an aquatic species necropsy. You'll also explore First Nations People sites on the Walkabout property, with ancient engravings and hand stencils dating back at least 4,000 years.
Hours and Credit
You'll receive a certificate for 80 service hours upon program completion, including approximately 20 research hours and about 70 hours total of veterinary and animal experience hours. You can optionally receive 4 credits from the University of Findlay (additional fee applies), and Loop Abroad can assist you in getting credit from your own school.
Who It's For
This group is open to students referred by the National Pre-Vet Club. The program is designed for university-aged students interested in becoming veterinarians or working professionally with animals. Participants must be at least 18 years old. Most are 18 to 25, but full-time undergraduates over 25 are also accepted. There are no prerequisites and you do not need to be currently enrolled in school. Individuals of any nationality may apply.
Housing and Meals
You'll live on-site at Walkabout in shared rooms (2-6 students, separated by gender, bunk style). Breakfast and lunch are self-serve (cereal, toast, salads, sandwiches). Dinners are prepared daily with a vegetarian alternative. The program can accommodate vegan, vegetarian, and other dietary restrictions. During the Sydney portion, you'll stay in a centrally-located hostel in shared rooms with other Loop students.
How to Apply
Click "Apply Now" on this page to begin the application through Loop Abroad. Select that you are applying for a "private group" and you will see the NPVC group and program dates. The application takes approximately 10 minutes.
This program is operated by Loop Abroad in partnership with the National Pre-Vet Club. All registration, enrollment, and payment are handled by Loop Abroad. Questions? Contact us at info@nationalprevetclub.org.
