Rescue Center
Costa Rica
If you’re passionate about caring for animals, like to travel, and considering a career in veterinary medicine, this is the program for you!
Experience the life-changing power of working with animals as you help veterinarians and conservationists provide care to animals that have been the victim of wildlife trafficking.
Prepare for the future
- Caring for native species like sloths, kinkajous, monkeys, and parrots
- Completing rotations in the on-site animal hospital
- Exploring Manuel Antonio National Park, home to hundreds of species of animals
- Meeting new friends who share your passion for animals
By attending Rescue Center Costa Rica, you can earn up to 40 veterinary hours, a required part of every vet school application.
2024 Program Dates & Tuition
- 9 Days
- June 8–16
- June 15–23
- July 20–28
- $5,899
What’s Included
Local meals, prepared family style
On-Site Accommodations
10:1 Teaching Vet-to-Student Ratio
Up to 40 veterinary hours
Round trip airfare*
*Roundtrip airfare from the designated international airport hub is included. Any travel costs from your location to that hub are not included.
Program Highlights
Emergency Vet Med
Shadow a teaching veterinarian for the duration of the program as you learn about emergency care procedures like suturing wounds, proper animal handling technique, and specialized diet preparation.
Animal Rehabilitation
Learn what it takes to practice long-term care for animals that have been the victim of wildlife trafficking or who otherwise need care, including for special species like toucans, spider monkeys, porcupines, and kinkajous.
Manuel Antonio National Park
Home to sloths, monkeys, anteaters, and over 180 species of birds, you’ll spend a full day exploring the natural beauty of this 680-hectare park, one of the most biodiverse national parks in the world!
Hospital Rotations
You’ll take turns rotating through different shifts in the on-site animal hospital. You can look forward to providing enrichments for the large sloth enclosures, shadowing clinical staff as they perform physical examinations, and performing ethograms in the lab.
Itinerary Highlights
Day 1
Arrival in Houston
Day 2
Journey to Costa Rica
Day 3
Learning Rotation I
Day 4
Learning Rotation II
Day 5
Manuel Antonio National Park
Day 6
Learning Rotation III
Day 7
Learning Rotation IV
Day 8
Closeout and Transfer to San Jose
Day 9
Departure
Image Gallery
What some of our students and their parents are saying…
I loved getting to work with actual vets at the Rescue Center, and I loved the activities we did.”
Attending Rescue Center Costa Rica “increased Sophia’s confidence and interpersonal skills and confirmed that she wanted to be a vet.”
Want to learn more? Fill out this form to schedule a call with one of our advisors
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For the safety of students, staff, and animals, not all animals may be touched or handled by participants. The teaching veterinarian and other professional staff members will advise students of the proper time, place, and method to handle animals when it is safe to do so.