Veterinary Internship — Wildlife Rehabilitation & Parrot Release

Location: Fundación LOROS, Colombia · Format: On-site · Duration: 1–3 months · Languages: English & Spanish · Stay & meals covered by the foundation

The Mission

You'll spend 1–3 months at Fundación LOROS in Colombia working directly with rescued and rehabilitating parrots, applying clinical skills in a real-world conservation setting. This isn't classroom observation—you'll assess animal health, run flight tests, administer care, and coordinate release operations. You'll see the full arc of rehabilitation, from intake to freedom.

What You'll Do

Each day you'll conduct health assessments on birds in active rehabilitation, taking vital signs, evaluating behavior, and identifying signs of distress or recovery. You'll assist in administering medications under supervision and perform flight testing to ensure birds are ready for release. You'll deliver emergency first aid when needed and coordinate the logistics and timing of fauna release activities—working with the team to prepare birds, monitor the field operation, and document outcomes. You'll work outdoors in Colombia's tropical environment, managing wildlife safely and working in Spanish with a bilingual team.

What Success Looks Like

Within your first few weeks, you're confidently handling birds, reading their physical condition, and understanding the signs of progress. You're running flight assessments independently and spotting early signs of health issues. By mid-program, you've contributed to several successful releases, managed medication schedules without prompting, and earned trust from the Fundación team. You leave with a portfolio of cases you've followed from arrival to recovery, skills in wildlife triage that go beyond textbooks, and a clear sense of whether field veterinary conservation work is your path forward.

Why This Matters

If you're serious about wildlife medicine or conservation, this is where theory meets practice. You won't be shadowing—you'll be in the field, making real decisions that affect individual animals and species recovery. Fundación LOROS is hands-on and results-focused. The work is demanding, unglamorous, and deeply purposeful. You'll learn under pressure, develop judgment that no exam can teach, and work alongside people whose expertise is lived, not theoretical. The foundation covers your stay and meals; you bring commitment, adaptability, and genuine passion for animals.

What You Bring

• Veterinary training
• Wildlife handling
• Medication administration
• Outdoor work
• Animal first aid
• Fauna release coordination
• Flight testing for birds
• English and Spanish