Rebecca Preece

This spring I had an incredible opportunity to volunteer at three different projects offered by African Conservation Experience (ACE), allowing me to explore my interest in wildlife veterinary medicine and conservation. I was in my final year of veterinary nurse training and wanted to use their projects to gain some hands-on experience in the field. 

The projects I chose were Phinda Wildlife Research Project, Shimongwe Wildlife Veterinary Experience, and Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre. Each project was an equally remarkable experience. 

During my first week at the Phinda, I got to see a huge variety of wildlife. I also got to assist with some management work, such as elephant darting, rhino horn trimming, and rhino relocations. These experiences were definitely a highlight of my trip!

For the next two weeks, I was based in Louis Trichardt at the veterinary project, where I assisted in darting Buffalo and worked with livestock and domestic animals.

My final week was spent at Moholoholo, where I helped the centre with their daily animal care tasks which were usually cleaning, feeding, and caring for the range of animals at Moholoholo. I got the chance to work closely with two pairs of honey badgers and four white-faced owls. 

I was nervous about travelling solo to a new country, so I am proud that I did this by myself with the support of ACE, and I want to be able to give other people the confidence to do the same. The whole experience with ACE has made me realise that I want to go into wildlife conservation whether it's based in the UK or internationally.