Unity in Conservation: My Time as a Vet Clinic Intern

For the greater part of my life, I have dreamed of two things: pursuing a career in animal care and traveling the world. As a fourth-year pre-vet biology student from Oregon State University, I wanted to combine these two aspirations by extending my learning across the globe. For the last ten weeks, I have been fortunate enough to live out this dream as a veterinary clinic intern at the Cheetah Conservation Fund — and it has exceeded my wildest imaginations.

Spending each day in the clinic, I gained exposure to everything from small ruminants, to livestock guarding dogs, to wild species including pangolins, a terrapin, and of course, the cheetah. I had the opportunity to observe how the expert veterinary team tackled health complications among the animals at CCF. Perhaps one of the most persistent challenges we faced with the goats and sheep at the model farm was haemonchus and lice infestations. I got to learn how the veterinary team managed this issue through deworming, and saw how they rotated between different deworming drugs to target specific parasites and prevent parasite resistance. Inside the clinic, I also gained experience with how to use the haematology and biochemistry machines, which were important diagnostic and health monitoring tools for all of the different species we worked with.

When patients needed to be sedated for surgeries or more invasive procedures, I was able to practice foundational skills in anesthetic monitoring. This included tracking heart rate, respiratory rate, and temperature over consistent time intervals for the duration of the procedure.

On my “general days,” I had the chance to spend time in other departments, allowing me to get an in-depth understanding of the holistic approach to conservation at CCF. With the cheetah husbandry team, I learned about the diet, behavior, and maturation of the cheetah. Between caring for the non-releasable versus releasable cheetah candidates, I saw the stark difference in their behavior.

With the dog team, I got to witness how each livestock guarding dog was cared for, with diets tailored to each of their health needs. During my time in the creamery, I learned how to add value to the goat milk by transforming it into other products, including cheese, ice cream, and even soap.

I was also able to attend a tour of the biomass facility where I learned how CCF was combatting bush encroachment and restoring cheetah habitats. With the ecology team, I learned how to use camera traps and got to participate in monthly game counts to understand wildlife movement patterns on CCF’s reserve. My experience in each of these departments gave me a close-up look at all of the intertwining variables at play to save the cheetah.

During my second week, I had the unforgettable opportunity to visit Etosha National Park with two of my fellow interns. It was a truly magical introduction to the landscape and biodiversity in Namibia. Seeing all of the different species roaming the land further ignited my fuel to contribute to conservation efforts at CCF. I was even lucky enough to spot a cheetah in the wild!

Perhaps above all else, the most meaningful part of my experience was the relationships I formed with the people I was surrounded by. With all the cultural diversity at CCF, I thoroughly enjoyed learning about each person’s cultural background and how it was similar to or different from my own. No matter how close or far our homelands were, or how similar or different our upbringings had been, we were all united by a single goal: conservation. My time with CCF is something I will treasure forever, and I am immeasurably grateful that this experience — and the people I shared it with— have been woven into this chapter of my life.