The study abroad trip to different locations of Costa Rica was one of the best experiences to see and experience. I am beyond excited to have that on my resume between working super hard with different weather environments, whether it was raining or 100% humidity. I quite enjoyed the learning of different animals and having some Hands-On experience. It was not as much of the medical side of veterinary medicine, but more zookeeper work. It is a good skill/ experience to have due to growing as a wildlife veterinarian technician knowing husbandry and nutrition of different animals. I am also very thankful that we got to experience a bandage/ wound repair on a sloth that was sadly electrocuted, which is a common outcome for a lot of animals in Costa Rica. I was very excited to learn what different countries and cultures have in place for wildlife. It was interesting to see the different places and what they do with rehab and release.

Some locations are stricter with volunteers’ involvement than other places. There were places that had different standards for releasing animals. One location gave every animal a chance to be released in their different steps to seeing how they grow and become releasable. It was also very exciting to see that Costa Rica has a huge program legality for wildlife and for their protection. It was very exciting to find that the laws and fines went from a small amount to thousands of dollars which is a huge deterrent for people. It is common for people to have these wild birds or monkeys then return them to the wild for whatever reason. It warmed my heart to see that there are a huge amount of people and even the government programs that protect these wild animals. Whether they are on a critically endangered list or not. The only thing I would like to add is more hands on in clinic veterinary medicine experience other than ear cleaning, nail trims, and bathing. Even though those are also very important. I wanted to see a more in-depth side of wildlife medicine rather than hands-on medical treatment of dogs and cats.

There were times when I was out of my comfort zones due to AC not being as commonly had at places that we stayed, but I learned that I could adapt and see how strong my passion for this field is than environmental conditions. The experience has still pushed me to still want to work with exotics and do rehabilitation. It was also a huge bonus to see how chocolate and coffee are made. The hiking of water falls and seeing beaches with wildlife around consisting of monkeys and birds. The passion from our tour guide and the bus driver topped the experience. Everyone in Costa Rica have so much love for their culture and their country. I would recommend this study abroad.

– Jordan, SPC Costa Rica Vet Tech Study Abroad Program, July 2025