Traditionally, a wildlife veterinarian’s job was limited to providing a service such as immobilization, disease monitoring, and capture support. However, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation realized that they have more to offer and that bringing veterinarians in as part of the team contributes to a more holistic approach to giraffe conservation. A highly qualified and experienced wildlife veterinarian now heads GCF’s Conservation Health Program to provide expert advice and hands-on support to our programs and initiatives throughout Africa.
While most African countries do not necessarily have a shortage of veterinarians, few have a structured means of training the specialized skills, confidence or experience in wildlife veterinary medicine and field work. For African governments and conservation organizations, it is common practice to contract foreign wildlife veterinarians to help with wildlife immobilizations as there is no ‘easy’ route to develop or enhance local capacity. Throughout the years of working in various African countries, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation identified this capacity gap and instead of continuing the cycle of bringing in outside veterinary support, we set out to do something about it.
Together with a selected team of experts and in collaboration with the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Namibia (UNAM), the Giraffe Conservation Foundation offers an annual course for African wildlife veterinarians to gain hands-on experience in all aspects of wildlife immobilization; from dart gun and dart handling and safety to species specific drug protocols, from human safety to physical practice in darting from the ground, vehicle, and helicopter. The course provides participants with a unique opportunity to develop wildlife veterinary, as well as enhances leadership, communication, and team building skills. The supportive and open environment created through inclusive mentorship by experienced wildlife veterinarians, biologists, conservationists, and game capture experts solidifies the goals of enhancing veterinary capacity and striving for excellence in their profession.
During the 10-day intensive course each participating African vet gets an opportunity to lead the planning and immobilization of at least one animal under the guidance of an expert mentor. The course is hosted at the Etosha Heights Conservation Centre, adjacent to the iconic Etosha National Park in Namibia. Participation is by invite only. In addition to gaining a unique skill set, participants leave as part of a network of peers for information exchange and continued professional growth.
It is our goal to build the capacity of African wildlife veterinarians and enable them to effectively undertake veterinary work on the local to national scale, leading to overall better conservation outcomes throughout the continent. Ultimately, by enhancing the capacity of young African wildlife veterinarians we are building Africa’s future conservation leaders.
