SMA, offers students the chance to get hands-on experience in wildlife rescue and rehabilitation, while learning about conservation issues in the lush rainforests of Costa Rica. Students will have the chance to make a tangible impact on the environment and its inhabitants, while building lasting connections with the wildlife and with each other. This study abroad program is not only a chance to explore and learn, but to contribute to the greater good of our planet and its wildlife.
This course will give the opportunity to students interested in veterinary medicine to come face-to-face with Costa Rica’s wildlife and obtain a once in a lifetime experience to learn hands-on with wildlife professionals. This course will enrich the students education in the topics of wildlife rescue, clinical skills, wildlife rehabilitation/release and wildlife care/management in captivity with conservation goals. Students will have the chance to learn about conservation issues, and gain skills for developing practical solutions for these issues.
This is a basic introductory course for students over 16 years old interested in the veterinary field in conservation. There are no prerequisites for this program,and students do not need to be enrolled in school to apply.
The course has a duration of two-weeks and takes place at Solo Mundo´s headquarters at Kids Saving the Rainforest (KSTR),in Quepos, Costa Rica.
The KSTR organization has a wildlife sanctuary and wildlife rescue center, where students will experience some of the theoretical and practical portions of the courses, like physical examinations, wildlife management and animal welfare. KSTR works with different local conservation organizations, like the Manuel Antonio National Park and marine conservation organizations, where we will do the other laboratory practices. Students will gain working knowledge on how a wildlife rescue center and wildlife sanctuary function, and how veterinary medicine is of great importance for these programs to function. The course will provide knowledge on the bases that are needed for the proper management of wildlife in a clinical setting and rescue center setting. These include lessons on anatomy, pathology, nutrition, husbandry, behavioral studies and ecology. Students will learn about conservation issues that are faced and gain skills for developing practical solutions for these issues.
