Learn wildlife medicine, rescue, rehab and release…

from anywhere in the world

“Wildlife Veterinary Medicine Panama” was designed by Dr. Chloe Buiting, The Jungle Doctor, for students looking to gain clinical experience in wildlife medicine. 

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a sloth vet? Or treat some of the world’s most endangered wildlife? The Virtual Wildlife Veterinary Medicine Panama Internship might be for you – now open for enrollment!

Highlights

In addition to your up-close observations and shadowing, you’ll get to: 

  • Learn from wildlife veterinarians who work on the frontline of wildlife conservation in Panama
  • Virtually shadow a busy veterinary clinic that specializes in the treatment of wildlife and exotic pets
  • Virtually shadow veterinarians at Panama’s busiest wildlife rescue facility, which specializes in sloth rehabilitation
  • Join recorded medical rounds in the veterinary clinic to discuss current hospital in-patients and cases, and have the opportunity to ask questions
  • Learn to perform a clinical exam on a sloth
  • Learn to perform clinical examinations on reptiles, small mammals, and birds of prey based on demos with real patients
  • Dedicated lectures in the handling and restraint of reptiles, small mammals, and birds of prey
  • Learn about common diseases and injuries of Central American wildlife and their medical management
  • Hear from veterinarians who have worked with victims of the illegal wildlife trade and learn, first-hand, about the effects this industry is having on critically endangered wildlife of Central and South America
  • Learn about the rehabilitation process from rescue to release
  • Complete a workshop in wildlife X-ray techniques
  • Complete a workshop on wildlife necropsies
  • Learn from wildlife veterinarians who work on the frontline of wildlife conservation in Panama
  • Learn about some of the biggest threats to Panama’s wildlife – including deforestation, over-development, poaching, power lines through the rainforest, and the illegal pet trade
  • Perform a complete physical exam on a sloth
  • Earn a Certificate from Loop Abroad in Basic Wildlife Rescue and Clinical Techniques: Exotic Animal Handling, Restraint, and Medicine


Overview

The Wildlife Veterinary Medicine Panama Virtual Internship will give you the opportunity to virtually learn from veterinarians in a veterinary clinic serving wildlife, exotics, and small animals, as well as those working in a busy wildlife rehabilitation facility, which has an emphasis on the rehabilitation and release of sloths.

Join your instructor, experienced wildlife veterinarian Dr. Julio Reyes, to learn about the medicine and treatment of Panamanian wildlife. Dr. Reyes is the Medical Director of Centro Veterinario Panamá in Panama City, which sees and treats a range of animals – from companion pets to exotic animals and wildlife. 

Dr. Reyes is also the consulting veterinarian for APPC Panama, the Pan-American Conservation Association, which is Panama’s leading wildlife rescue organization. Since 2005, the APPC has rescued, rehabilitated, and released more than 5,000 wild animals – including kinkajous, jaguars, porcupines, margays, toucans, monkeys, anteaters, and sloths. With deforestation, over-development, poaching, and the illegal pet trade being some of the biggest threats to wildlife in Panama, the APPC is dedicated to saving the region’s most vulnerable species.

By joining us on this program, you’ll get the chance to learn about the treatment of Central America wildlife – including clinical examinations, handling, restraint, common diseases, and medical therapies. You will also learn about the rehabilitation process and have the opportunity to virtually shadow any surgeries, rescues, or releases!

Course dates and format

This course is fully asynchronous – you can begin at any time.

In order to earn your completion certificate for the course, you will need to complete a number of online quizzes and assessments to demonstrate your participation and understanding of the course topics.

This course involves 25 total hours of content, including lectures, workshops, labs, and pre-recorded vet shadowing sessions.

This course includes virtual veterinary rounds and a virtual visit to the sloth sanctuary in Panama!

Wildlife Veterinary Medicine in Panama

  1. 1
  2. 2

    • Reptile medicine

    • Chameleons

    • Demo: lizard handling and physical exam
  3. 3

    • Birds of prey and psittacine handling and restraint

    • Demo: bird physical exam

    • Songbird Rehabilitation

    • Parrot Release Protocol

    • Parrot Release Case Studies

    • Raptor Release Protocols
  4. 4

    • Sign the Online Course Agreement to continue

    • Small mammal medicine lecture

    • Demo: rabbit blood draw

    • Small Mammal Release Protocol
  5. 5

    • Sloth rehabilitation and release

    • Intro to the Toucan Rescue Ranch

    • Hand-raising sloths in Costa Rica

    • Electrocution injuries in sloths, part 1

    • Electrocution injuries in sloths, part 2
  6. 6

    • Day 1. How to make bandages

    • Day 1. Sloth wound care and tilapia skin therapy
  7. 7

    • Advanced medical care of wildlife

    • Chemical immobilization in wildlife

    • Prosthetics in wildlife

    • Veterinary Ophthalmology
  8. 8

    • Helping with wildlife cases across Central America
  9. 9

    • Owl necropsy

    • Howler monkey necropsy

    • Sloth necropsy
  10. 10

    • Cognitive Enrichment

    • Feeding Enrichment

    • Sensory And Social Enrichment

    • Environmental Enrichment

Who It’s For

This program is designed for university-aged students who are interested in working professionally with animals.

All undergraduate, pre-veterinary and veterinary students are welcome. Individuals of any nationality may apply.

All programming is in English – no Spanish skills are required (but if you have them, you’ll definitely use them!)

Meet your Instructors

Wildlife Veterinarian

Ana Villada Rosales, DVM

Ana María Villada Rosales is the Veterinarian Supervisor at the Toucan Rescue Ranch in Costa Rica. At Toucan Rescue Ranch, Ana María oversees the clinic, treatments of injured animals, caretaking and rehabilitation of the sloths, and preventative medicine in at both the Headquarters and the Release Site. She graduated from veterinarian school from the Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico, and has a Master’s in Conservation Medicine from Murdoch University, Australia. She has worked with wildlife at zoological collections in Mexico and rescue centers in Australia.

Veterinarian

Julio Reyes, DVM

Dr. Reyes is the Medical Director of Centro Veterinario Panamá in Panama City, which sees and treats a range of animals – from companion pets to exotic animals and wildlife. He is also the consulting veterinarian for APPC Panama, the Pan-American Conservation Association, which is Panama’s leading wildlife rescue organization. Since 2005, the APPC has rescued, rehabilitated, and released more than 5,000 wild animals – including kinkajous, jaguars, porcupines, margays, toucans, monkeys, anteaters, and sloths.

Wildlife Veterinarian and Conservationist

Chloe Buiting, DVM

Chloe is an Australian veterinarian and wildlife conservationist who is passionate about animal care and conservation. She shares her work on Instagram as @jungle_doctor and through her book The Jungle Doctor: The Adventures of an International Wildlife Vet. Chloe was influential in the rescue and treatment of Australian wildlife during the devastating bushfires of 2019-2020. She trained in large animal anesthesia in Africa (darting rhinos and elephants!) and has completed an internship in surgery. She earned her DVM at the University of Melbourne. When she isn’t working abroad, she lives with her husband Jan (who is also a wildlife vet!) on Kangaroo Island in South Australia. They enjoy surfing, snorkeling, time with friends, photography and – of course – looking after the orphaned kangaroo and koala joeys that come into their care!

Guest Lectures

In addition to a hearing from a range of local guest lecturers in Panama with extensive experience in wildlife rescue, treatment, rehabilitation, and release – particularly those working on the front-line of wildlife crime – you will also get to join Dr. Roberto Fecchio (DVM) for a lecture on the use of prosthetics in wildlife that have been injured in the illegal wildlife trade in Central and South America. Learn about the creation of prosthetic beaks for toucans and macaws!