Day 1: Arrival and introduction to the rhino reserve

The mission begins with participants arriving at Windhoek Airport by 9am.

The road to the reserve takes around 5 hours as we move deeper and deeper into the wild, finally reaching our destination a few kilometers from the gates of Etosha National Park. The setting is stunning- from the balcony of your room, you look out over what seems like an endless horizon of rolling plains, acacia trees, and the distant silhouettes of wildlife, where the sounds of nature fill the air. Behind you, a great cliff rises up to form a mountain ridge that borders the reserve. Participants are greeted by project leaders, experienced wildlife veterinarians Ulf Tubbesing and Gemma Campling, along with a team of veterinary nurses, guides and local conservationists.

After settling in, you are free to swim in the pool, meet your course mates, rest and relax, ready for dinner. Before we eat, the team will provide an overview of the program, camp safety and what can be expected in the week ahead, before we enjoy watching the bold African sunset and a welcome dinner under the stars, featuring traditional African cuisine called a Braai (BBQ).

Day 2: Introduction to Rhino Anatomy and Physiology

8-9 am Breakfast

9-1 pm Lecture Rhino conservation in the 21st century. The role of dehorning. Unique rhino physiology and body condition scoring.

1-2 pm Lunch

2-5 pm  Field practical Visit holding pens to feed the older rhinos. Discuss diets, teeth, and body condition score practice.

Safari Drive to the waterhole and sundowners

Night drive home

In the morning, the learning begins. Participants dive into a seminar on rhino conservation, to fully understand the challenges faced in managing and maintaining this beautiful but endangered species. The discussion covers the history of rhino poaching, the biology of rhino horn, discussion about horn trade, and how dehorning has successfully reduced poaching incidents in protected reserves.

In the afternoon it’s time to get up close (very close!) and personal with some of the older rhino who electively walk into holding pens twice a day for supplemental feeding.

You will make and mix their dinner, and watch them eat, whilst discussing dentition and diet. We stand with just a boma fence between us and the rhino, having a chance to observe them up close, feeling their majestic presence, and listening to their very loud slurpy eating!

From here we head out into the reserve, set up a table with snacks and drinks, and hopefully are visited by the wild rhinos for a very special sunset and amazing photo opportunities.

Day 3: Drug delivery and pharmacology

8-9am Breakfast

9-1pm Lecture White and black rhino capture, Pharmacology, Drug accidents, Helicopter safety.

1-2pm Lunch

Practical: Dart guns, darts, rangefinders. Handling, loading, and target practice.

Today the focus shifts to immobilisation techniques.

Immobilising a rhino is a delicate process that requires extensive knowledge and specific equipment like dart guns and darts, as well as strong opioids and drug cocktails to manage cardiorespiratory side effects. Participants are taught how to use the 2 most regularly available projectors (Dan-inject and Pneudart), and the types of darts are covered and discussed to arm participants with the knowledge to select the right type in a range of situations. These concepts are then taken outside for a practical where you will handle the projectors, dart targets, and there is even a small prize for the most accurate shooter! After a fun afternoon, most people opt to jump into the pool to cool off, grab a drink, and we all watch the mighty African sun set right in front of the bar and pool.

Day 4 Rhino capture and dehorning work

8-9 Breakfast

9-1 Practical/Lectures. Rhino capture drills. RhODIS DNA sampling, Tranquilisers, Rhino rabies, Anthrax

1-2 pm Lunch

2-5 pm  Field Practical Rhino dehorning. 2 rhino

Our morning lectures then focus on DNA sampling, tranquilisers, and important infectious diseases. Then it's time for rhino capture drills. The team splits into small groups of 3 or 4. This is how we will be working with the rhino, so everyone gets excellent hands-on experience. Delegates learn to be an efficient first response team, pack the essential box for each rhino's sample collection, and get all the jobs done in a matter of minutes.

Then we head out to dehorn our 1st rhinos. The head vet will fly in a helicopter with a pilot, to locate and dart the animal. The ground team of participants then race to the rhino in a truck, leap out when as close as the terrain allows, and assist with the dehorning. You will be medicating, monitoring, stabilising, collecting samples and reversing your rhinos. We return to camp after a fast-paced afternoon, with a great sense of pride, having provided protection for these beautiful creatures.

Day 5 Dehorning and disease management

8-9 Breakfast

9-1pm Practical. Rhino dehorning. 2 rhino.

1-2 pm Lunch

2-5 pm Practical. We keep this time free to offer services to the reserve to assist with non-rhino veterinary work.

For the 2nd day we head out to dehorn rhino. You can expect more adrenaline-packed work, getting up close and personal to these magnificent giants, getting familiar with monitoring, sampling, anatomy and physiology. It is very touching to be holding an oxygen tube to the soft wide nose of a rhino, feeling their breath on your hand, or looking deep into their human-like eyes, knowing you are keeping that animal safe for another year.

After another great lunch, we head back to the field for additional vet work. We may be darting, moving, or treating antelope, zebra, giraffe or carnivores, depending on the need at the time. As the sun sets over the savanna, participants gather around a roaring campfire.

There is a palpable sense of camaraderie, as stories from our busy day are shared, and friendships are formed.

Day 6  Horn processing and lectures about gastrointestinal diseases

8-9 breakfast

9-1pm Practical/Lecture. Horn and blood sample processing with government officials. Lectures on rhino colic and sand impaction

1-2 pm Lunch

2-5 pm Game drive via gift shop, sundowners with the wild rhinos

We have been busy removing horns, and now it is time to see the next steps of that journey. All horn is weighed, photographed, microchipped and recorded by government officials. We discuss how the horn is stored, and the costs associated. We open a debate into what legalising the horn trade could do for and against the rhino. When this work finishes we cover important afflictions of megaherbivores including colic and impaction. Your last afternoon will be one to remember. We head to the small luxury lodge about 5 kilometers from our camp on the reserve, to explore the gift shop and buy any trinkets, t-shirts and gifts you want to take home.

Then it's out for a last safari drive, and setting up a pop up drinks and snack bar in the bush, with a good chance to be visited by wild rhinos and other animals as we watch our final sunset. As the milky way sparkles across the sky there is a shared sense of pride and accomplishment as participants reflect on their journey. They have not only learned about rhino medicine but have also contributed directly to the protection of these incredible animals. The hosts offer one last farewell, and as the fire burns low, the group prepares for departure the next morning.

Day 7 Departure

It is an early start today, as we hand out a fresh packed breakfast at 5.30 am, load suitcases and head to the airport at 6.30 am. Delegates arrive with their team at Windhoek airport around 11am and flights are booked from 1.30 pm and beyond.

Conclusion: A Lifelong Commitment to Conservation

The Rhino Veterinary Dehorning Mission is more than just a veterinary training program, it is a transformative experience that deepens participants’ understanding of wildlife conservation and veterinary care. Through hands-on dehorning procedures, in-depth learning, and cultural immersion, participants leave with a renewed commitment to protecting rhinos and other endangered species.

Schedule changes and plans

We aim to dehorn a good number of rhinos during your stay. However it is important to remember that we are at the mercy of weather, big hills, wide canyons and live animals that are very grey, and very good at hiding. On occasion rhino are darted and then run to areas that can’t be accessed by the ground team, in which case the head vet will exit the helicopter and carry out the procedure alone, or reverse and release the rhino without dehorning it, if the area is deemed dangerous. Worldwide Vets and our team members will never push the procedure to go ahead if it may endanger the welfare or comfort of the rhinos.