Veterinary Internship in the Amazon

Name: Veterinary Internship in the Amazon
Start: 2026-01-01
End: 2027-12-31
Location: Peru

Code: 3069d18d-b9b7-11f0-8df3-fa163ef8d720 Copied

Peru Youth activities Youth activities Fixed dates

About the project

📝 Detailed information

🏢 About the local organisation

RAREC is a non-profit organization dedicated to wildlife conservation, whose core programs are the rescue and rehabilitation of confiscated or injured species for future release, as well as an educational support system for the surrounding communities.

Our Center also serves as a research facility for Amazonian wildlife, with the goal of creating alliances with future generations
through our after-school programs, allowing them to continue on protecting the local environment and existing
wildlife populations.

💼 What the programme involves

This program is designed to provide participants with the practical knowledge and experience that they will need to become professionals in Veterinary medicine. This internship is aimed at professionals or students of Veterinary nurse, Veterinary technicians or Veterinary medicine. You can use this internship to gain practical experience, learn about how to work in a veterinary team and improve your knowledge about wildlife species.

The participants of this program, in addition to participating in all animal welfare activities, are guided by our professionals to obtain specific objectives or complete projects that are required
to accomplish their professional goals.
The program will include:
● Practice about animal care for new arrivals in quarantine and offsprings in nursery.
● Dart practice and other contention techniques, learn and develop physical contention skills.
● Sutures workshops, blood draws and other sample analysis.
● Medical check-ups every week includes learning to review anatomy, parameters, ultrasound, measurements, anaesthetic protocols (IM and inhalation), X-rays practice, etc. All necessary equipment
on-site.
● Theory and practice about haematological and biochemical analysis. All necessary equipment on-site.
● Lectures about health care, conservation programs, medical protocols, clinical cases, south-American
species, etc.
● Support in the animal’s treatment, assistance in the administration of medicines and monitoring of animal
health
● Undertake rescue operations of neglected and abused wildlife and to provide emergency medical
treatment, and long-term care and rehabilitation.
● Support in surgical procedures, animal treatments and necropsies (the level of involvement depends on your level of career studies)
● Go on vet rounds to see and treat animal patients, provide veterinary assistance to any sick or injured animal; wild or domestic.
● Visits to other wildlife projects or farms in order to support them with animal welfare to their animals.
● Support in the rehabilitation process, some animals may be taken from their enclosures for exercise and to
practice wild behaviours, this activity is done under staff supervision.
● Assist in dog and cat population control, deworming, spay and neutering campaigns for communities. You will be able to work closely with our veterinary team, observing and assisting with patient admission, administering sedatives and other medications, preparing animals for sedations, monitoring patients,
wound care, monitoring recovery and discharging patients (the level of involvement depends on your level
of career studies)
● Learn to plan and prepare educational sessions about conservation for staff and other volunteers at RAREC.
● Choose a project to develop in your stay and professional guide in the process.
● You will also take part in animal husbandry and food preparation tasks.

Wildlife Medicine Practice (60%):
Activities include performing health assessments, physical and chemical
contention, monitoring in medical check-ups, necropsies and surgeries if
needed, assisting in diagnostics, participating in medical treatments, and
monitoring rehabilitation progress.

Specialized Lectures and workshops (20%):
Interactive sessions on wildlife conservation, amazonian species, contention
techniques, enrichment and monitoring rehabilitation progress and clinical
techniques. Workshops may cover subjects like disease management,
medication and dosage, sutures, blood smears and other samples, anaesthesia
in wildlife, conservation strategies, etc.

Husbandry (20%):

Tasks focus on daily care of captive wildlife, including feeding, enclosure
cleaning, enrichment activities, and monitoring animal behaviour in all the
areas.

🏠 Accommodation on site

ALL OUR PROGRAMS INCLUDE:
● Meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner). You must confirm if you have any special diet such as vegan, vegetarian,
or food allergies before arrival. Please check our Travel Guide document to see details about included food.
● Very quiet work environment to perform daily activities and relax and study at night.
● Outdoor recreation room with fan, hammocks, movie projector, board games.
● Indoor dining room with a free use kitchen, refrigerator for personal food and drinks, coffee maker and
microwave.
● Laundry room, please check our Travel Guide document to see details about what you need to bring.
● Wi-Fi in volunteers and staff areas. The internet signal in the recreation areas is not strong but we have
Internet connection in the study area that has a strong connection any time of the day.
● Each volunteer will be provided with RAREC t-shirts and rain boots for their stay.
● Pick up and drop off in Iquitos Airport (just for stays from 1 week or more)
● One boat ride on the Amazon River to see river dolphins (just for stays from 1 week or more).
● RAREC provides immediate transportation to a medical center if needed, medical expenses are the
responsibility of the participant.
● Guidance and advice of the Volunteer Coordinator for your extra activities or tours on your days-off. If your
group wants the Volunteer Coordinator to accompany you outside RAREC, they have to cover their expenses
(transport, entrance fees and food).
● Shared room (rooms of 4 people, 6 and 10 people, depending on availability)
with individual beds and bunk beds, A/C and mosquito net in windows and beds.
● Electricity all day in all rooms.
● Shared bathrooms outside rooms.
● Very quiet terrace to relax in the hammocks with view of the manatee lake
● Wi-Fi in the bedrooms and common area of the villas
● Warm showers
● Electricity all day in all rooms
● A/C in every bedroom

📍 About the location

Iquitos is the only city in Peru where you can see the
Amazon River. The city is located in the heart of the
Amazonian rainforest, in the Northeastern zone of
Peru, and it is the largest city in the world
inaccessible by road; the only way to travel to Iquitos
is either by air or by boat.
RAREC is based on an area of 80 hectares (160
acres), located on the Iquitos-Nauta Road, 47 Km (29
miles) from the city of Iquitos, Perú.
The city of Iquitos is the largest population center in
the area. Iquitos has an airport and is exactly one
and a half hours from the city of Lima (via airplane).
RAREC is one hour from the city of Iquitos (by car) via
the only highway that exists in the area. We have
built comfortable accommodations to stay in while at
the same time being completely surrounded by the
jungle and its sounds. The jungle experience for
visitors is guaranteed.

⚠️ Requirements

Conditions required:
• Must be a vet, in the middle of their veterinary studies or be starting a veterinary study soon. Team working skills are necessary

• An interest in wildlife conservation, capable of following rules for animals’ wellbeing
• ≥18 years old (Under 18s must be accompanied by a responsible adult)
• Physically and mentally healthy and able to do physical activity in humid environment.
• Medical insurance
• Can be booked from 1 night to more

🤝 Meeting point

To get to the project, you must take a flight to the airport in Lima, then another flight to the city of Iquitos. The organization will pick up the volunteers at the airport in Iquitos only on Mondays at 7:30 am.
If the volunteer arrives in another time it is recommended to book a hotel night in Iquitos, and they will pick you the volunteers in the hotel at 8 - 9 am.
From Iquitos airport to the project site is one hour drive.
Departures:
RAREC's private transportation, can take volunteers to the airport only at the following times:
On Mondays:
DEPARTURE FROM RAREC 6:15 AM - ARRIVAL TO AIRPORT 7:15 AM
On Sundays:
DEPARTURE FROM RAREC 10:30 AM - ARRIVAL TO AIRPORT 11:30 AM
If the volunteer decides to take another flight that is not at that time, we recommend to pay a safe cab (the organization can help contacting the cab).

ℹ️ Additional information

What is included in the programs:
• All programs include the transportation outside RAREC in case we carry out activities related to the program such as rescues, veterinary care, etc.
• The stays of at least one week, include the ride to the Amazon River in a boat to see pink dolphins, which takes place once in your stay.
• RAREC provides immediate transportation to a medical center in the event of the participant's need, medical expenses are the responsibility of the participant.
• Guide and advice of the Volunteer Coordinator in your extra activities or tours, on the daysoff.
What is not included:
• International flight tickets to or from Iquitos.
• Transportation outside RAREC in case of personal affairs or purchases, and days-off.
Wi-Fi Signal:
Our main objective is the education about conservation and the connection of the participant with the environment and friends while we are here, so our internet signal fulfills the most basic purpose of allowing us to send and receive messages via the most popular networks and social media, in the
common areas. It is a little more complex to send images, videos or documents.
For study and work purpose we have Starlink connection in the study area, where you can access free any time of the day, in order to do work that need an stronger internet connection.
We advise you not to stress about this technological detail and that you enjoy the incomparable time of connection with nature and other conservationists like you.
The confirmation of your reservation ensures your spot until you make your second deposit. After second deposit we will send you the Registration Certificate. You have the possibility to reprogram your dates until December 2025 with no additional costs. Our main aim is for you to be able to attend your program in a safe and convenient manner so the registration in advance allows free and unlimited date changes (depending on availability) if any
event prevents you from attending your planned trip. If for any reason, you cannot come until December 2025. You can reprogram later just paying the rate difference in that year.
Start Dates: Mondays
1 week (7 nights) : 1400$ (total fee)
3 weeks (21 days): 2058$ (total fee)
4 weeks (28 nights): 2688$ (total fee)
5 weeks (35 nights): 3290$ (total fee)
6 weeks (42 nights): 3864$ (total fee)
7 weeks (49 nights): 4410$ (total fee)
8 weeks (56 nights): 4928$ (total fee)
9 weeks (63 nights): 5292$ (total fee)
10 weeks (70 nights): 5600$ (total fee)
11weeks (77 nights): 6006$ (total fee)
12 weeks (84 nights): 6300$ (total fee)