Pre-Vet and Conservation Safari Programme in South Africa
Students get supervised veterinary fieldwork on a working livestock farm in Cathcart, Eastern Cape, handling horses, sheep, cattle and wildlife, before a two-day conservation safari at a private game reserve.
Local Business & Community Interaction Programme
SAVE Foundation’s Pre-Vet and Safari Programme for university groups combines hands-on veterinary fieldwork on a working livestock farm in Cathcart, Eastern Cape, with a two-day conservation safari at a private game reserve. Run by a registered South African non-profit, it gives faculty-led groups supervised practice, lectures and documentation for academic reporting.
The farm stage is based on a working commercial livestock farm in Cathcart. Students work with horses, sheep and cattle, with small animal and wildlife exposure, across five components: small stock, large animal, wildlife, veterinary physiotherapy, and research and conservation. Depending on the season they may assist with pregnancy scanning, lambing or calving, give injections and drenching under supervision, observe surgery, and take part in theory and practical training in the chemical immobilisation of wildlife, with lectures on nutrition, disease and South African breeds.
The programme closes with a two-day safari at a private game reserve: game drives with expert rangers, a hosted dinner and a night in a shared bush camp. Guides link what students see to wildlife health, habitat management, anti-poaching, human and wildlife conflict, how private reserves fund conservation and One Health, and sessions can be shaped around a faculty’s priorities. Each student receives a certificate, a reference letter, a clinical log and a supervisor evaluation signed by a registered veterinarian, and faculty receive a summary report.
Academic Fit
Veterinary Science & Medicine (pre-clinical)
Veterinary Nursing
Animal Science & Agriculture
Wildlife Management, Zoology & Conservation Biology
About this programme
Learning Outcomes
FAQ's
Do students need veterinary experience?
No. The programme suits students building their experience or deciding whether veterinary medicine is right for them.
Will the hours count towards veterinary school applications or university credit?
The programme provides a clinical log, a signed supervisor evaluation and a reference letter to support applications. Please confirm your institution’s documentation standards with your faculty before travelling.
When can a group travel?
Groups arrive via East London Airport on a Monday. The farm programme is closed in December and January.