Creating Independent Wildlife Clinicians and/or Policy Makers

Our Wildlife ConserVet Education Project will empower the next generation of African wildlife veterinarians by funding advanced training in their home countries.

Read our success stories from this program

African countries have created national parks and sanctuaries in an effort to conserve biodiversity. Many national parks operate without a focus on health – a critical component in the conservation of wildlife and wild places. There are many eager veterinarians with an interest in working as wildlife field veterinarians or in disease surveillance but they do not have the necessary skills and knowledge set. There is a clear need for a sustainable system to build veterinary capacity.

ConserVet introduces wildlife medicine within undergraduate veterinary programs by funding externships to encourage interested students to consider a career with wildlife. Select veterinarians will have reliable and sustainable access to scholarships for internships and graduate degree programs in Wildlife Medicine.

Launched by Docs4GreatApes in 2019, the Wildlife ConserVet Education Project has secured the support of many veterinarians in North America and Africa as well as the interest of like-minded wildlife charities in Canada and the US. We obtained the advice of legal experts to develop a framework to make this happen. The ConserVet Program is administered by a consortium of wildlife organizations with the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada as the lead charity. We have partnered with organizations that already have a presence on the ground in Africa—by leveraging their infrastructure we can join forces to advance our cause.

WE CANNOT SUCCEED WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT

By becoming a member of Docs4GreatApes, your organization can directly contribute to creating the necessary local expertise in wildlife medicine that the great apes need to survive and flourish. Act now. Become a member. Your contribution will help fund the training needed to save great apes.
 

All images on this page courtesy of Dr. Luis Flores, Lwiro Primates Rehabilitation Center, DRC.