Since I've graduated from veterinary school in June 2014 a lot has changed and I've learned so much. I completed a
1 year veterinary internship and I have a new job as an associate veterinarian - which I will be working on blogging about soon! For anyone who is interested - check out my previous blog about being a veterinary student:
http://livingmydreamkn.blogspot.com/
About
a year ago, I began researching volunteer veterinary opportunities abroad, I've
had many travels and experiences volunteering as a veterinary student,
but now I'm a veterinarian and have the opportunity to do so much more!
I found an organization called Darwin Animal Doctors "DAD"
http://darwinanimaldoctors.org/
Since 2010, DAD has been providing life-saving veterinary care to endemic wildlife. Patients
include blue-footed boobies, tortoises and Galapagos sea lions. DAD mostly serves the invasive species of the islands - dogs and cats.
But how do dogs and cats get to the island?
Because the Galapagos Islands is a very popular tourist location, there
are people living on the Islands to support this industry. Four islands –
Santa Cruz, Isabela, San Cristobal, and Floreana – are inhabited by
humans, and DAD has provided veterinary care to animals on all of these
islands. Galapagos has a population of 30,000 people total, with a
constantly growing domestic animal population. The clinic is located on
Santa Cruz, the most populated island. The human population, has unfortunately, brought dogs and cats with it.
Though it is illegal to bring these species onto the Galapagos Islands,
there is a large smuggling and breeding problem. Part of our education
campaign is aimed at raising awareness of the problems associated with
invasive species and to promote humane population control by encouraging
spaying and neutering.
I will be departing on my journey October 6th and returning home November 7th! I will be with DAD for 3 weeks and have about a week to have my own adventures!
