Our team is honoured to be travelling to South America this summer as part of the Global Vets Program! We aim to build meaningful connections and partnerships with our dedicated colleagues abroad, to challenge our own ideas and values through this collaboration, and examine how we can most effectively give back to the communities, organizations and individuals who host us. Our main interests lie in community outreach, conservation and wildlife rehabilitation and we are fortunate enough to explore these focuses by contributing to population control, public education and wildlife medicine initiatives in both Costa Rica and Guatemala. We will start our journey by volunteering with the experienced veterinarians at Rescue Centre Costa Rica, who rescue, rehabilitate, and release orphaned and injured indigenous wild animals back into their natural habitats in Santa Ana. Then, we head to the Lake Atitlan region of Guatemala to join the amazing team of volunteers at Ayuda; a non-profit animal welfare initiative dedicated to the health and well-being of feral dogs and cats in this country. We are excited for the opportunity to lend a hand to these incredible organizations and look forward to bringing the lessons and knowledge we gain back with us to Canada!

Meet Julia

My name is Julia and I’m really excited to be travelling to South America this summer as part of the Global Vets Program! I’ve always had a vested interest in both wildlife medicine and veterinary community outreach and I hope to explore these passions this summer while contributing to some truly amazing organizations. For me, Global Vets presents an incredibly unique opportunity to see how outreach work makes an impact at the intersection of public health, ecosystem health, and animal welfare. I am so grateful for this experience and greatly appreciate any donations made to the Global Vets team to help us create this impact!

Meet Brooke

Hi everyone! My name is Brooke and I am beyond excited to be travelling to South America this summer with two of my classmates through the Global Vets program! My passion for wildlife rehabilitation began many years ago when I began volunteering at a local wildlife rehabilitation centre in Ottawa. In 2017, I decided to further my wildlife experience by completing a veterinary internship in Laos, South East Asia, where I worked closely with the rehabilitation team at the Elephant Conservation Centre. These experiences absolutely shaped my conservation interests and becoming a member of Global Vets was an easy decision for me as I entered Phase 2 at OVC. I feel honoured and fortunate to travel abroad this summer in order to make an impact in international public health, ecosystem health and animal welfare. Stay tuned for our team’s social media updates!

Meet Hannah

I am honoured to be participating in veterinary medicine and conservation abroad this year. I think that finding the sweet spot where animal, human and environmental health intersect is the most interesting and meaningful way to make an impact as a member of the veterinary community. In Guatemala, I can’t wait to help maintain the health and welfare of feral pets released in the area. Feral pets can have an enormous impact on local wildlife, by exposing them to diseases they wouldn’t otherwise see. This can cause big ecological change! In a small and diverse country such as Guatemala, preventing released pets from breeding can protect entire species. I also find the relationship between people and wildlife to be fascinating. By helping to improve human-wildlife interactions through education, it is possible to both stimulate population recovery, the economies, and cultural health of rural communities. I am over the moon to be on the path to building a career that incorporates initiatives such as these.