South Florida Wildlife Center Offers Unique Externship Opportunities for Veterinary StudentsApril 24, 2012 This semester, many student members have expressed an interest in wildlife medicine. This is great news because HSVMA is affiliated with a wildlife center that has excellent externship programs for veterinary students. This center offers onsite housing and provides top-notch hands on training. Learn more about this exciting opportunity below. South Florida Wildlife Center
A gull is released back into the wild after being brought back to health at the South Florida Wildlife Center. The South Florida Wildlife Center is located in warm Fort Lauderdale, Fla. The facility rescues more than 12,000 animals a year, most of whom are native species such as alligators, egrets, opossums, pelicans, turtles and otters. The center rescues and rehabilitates injured, abused and orphaned animals until they can be returned to the wild. The center also takes in several thousand exotic animals each year—including pet pythons let loose in swamps, parrots who have escaped captivity, as well as exotic mammals whose owners abandon or surrender them. While some exotics can survive in Florida’s climate, they can threaten indigenous species. For these victims of the exotic pet trade, the center provides shelter and adoption services, finding good homes for animals who would otherwise have nowhere to go. This externship offers a wide variety of experiences for fourth-year veterinary students in triage, surgery, and treatment of a variety of species. This externship is ideal for students considering wildlife, zoo or exotic animal medicine. A six-week commitment is preferred, but the program can be tailored toward a shorter time commitment if necessary. What does an extern learn at SFWC? Find out in this video made by a 2013 summer extern» Get more information and fill out an online application» Contact:Antonia Gardner, DVM |