Caring for Pets that Need Care
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Make a Difference > Animal Welfare > Rescue & Protection
Don't miss: The long and difficult history of Robben Island is nothing to be proud of—it was a place of banishment and prison for hundreds of years and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The most famous incarcerated prisoner was Nelson Mandela, exiled with other political prisoners during the terrible reign of apartheid.
Information: www.southafrica.net
Cape Town is renowned as a lively, beautiful, culture-filled city. When your work caring for the animals is done, explore the town, visit its famous wineries, or take in gorgeous views of the region's sloping mountains and rugged coastline.
You may guess that your veterinary support volunteer assignment in Cape Town will have you cuddling puppies and a few kittens all day long—and you would be right. But you'll also work with donkeys, geese, parrots, pigs, and any other animal that gets domesticated in a large city. This project provides welfare veterinary service to pet owners who can't afford a private vet service and supports animal welfare officers who tirelessly work to vaccinate, care for, and provide sterilization for animals from poorer communities. The project has been a great success and is growing, trying desperately to keep up with demand.
You'll split your time between the recently opened permanent clinics in Cape Town and the mobile clinics in townships and neighborhoods that provide both general and occasional emergency services for animals. Except in serious cases of abuse, animals are treated, nursed to health, and returned to their owners. Because of your work, families are able to keep their beloved pets even if they've had a change in financial circumstances (the cause of most animal abandonment in any city). You'll be fully trained for your tasks and fully introduced to life in this beautiful city by the sea. You may also pitch in with marketing and community relations, helping impart the wisdom of spaying and neutering pets. English is taught in all Cape Town schools, so communication is effortless.
You'll live with a local host family in one of the trendiest neighborhoods of Cape Town, so during downtime you'll find plenty of distraction. Days off can be spent sightseeing and taking activity tours in and around the city.
