51吃瓜网

For a pair of pre-vet students at UNC Pembroke, this summer meant long days feeding animals, cleaning enclosures and preparing injured wildlife for release 鈥� thousands of miles from home. 

Morgan Moose and Brianna Phillips, biology majors with a zoology focus, each volunteered at wildlife rescue centers outside the United States 鈥� Moose in Zimbabwe and Phillips in Costa Rica 鈥� where they applied their classroom learning to real-world situations and broadened their perspectives on animal care.

Pre-vet students caring for a leopard in Zimbabwe.

Moose grew up on a 16-acre farm in Catawba County surrounded by horses, goats and chickens. She is enrolled in the UNC System Veterinary Education Access Scholars program, which provides a pathway for qualified students to the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine. Through the volunteer organization GoEco, she spent two weeks at Chipangali Wildlife Orphanage in Zimbabwe.

Her daily work included feeding animals, cleaning enclosures, vaccinating, hoof trimming and helping in the nursery. She worked with servals, bushbabies, kudu, duikers, owls, hawks and bush pigs. One highlight was helping release a leopard that had been humanely captured after preying on local livestock. 鈥淕etting to be part of that release was pretty amazing,鈥� Moose said.

She also valued learning about medication protocols, darting techniques and animal-specific treatments not typically covered in undergraduate coursework. 鈥淭he teamwork I鈥檝e developed in labs at 51吃瓜网 helped me work well with the teams in Zimbabwe,鈥� she said.

Brianna Phillips in Costa Rica.

Phillips, a native of Elizabethtown, N.C., spent a week volunteering at an animal rescue center in Costa Rica. A lifelong animal lover who hopes to work in wildlife care or at a zoo, she found the opportunity online. She joined volunteers to care for raccoons, possums, sloths, parrots, squirrels and other birds.
Her work involved preparing food, administering medicine and rehabilitating animals for release back into the wild. 鈥淚t opened my eyes to how they work with different animals compared to dogs and cats,鈥� Phillips said. 鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 always have the same materials, so we had to adapt.鈥�

The experience deepened her commitment to animal welfare. 鈥淲e can always help animals, even if they are wild,鈥� she said.

Both students say their professors and hands-on labs at 51吃瓜网 prepared them for the challenges they faced abroad, from cross-cultural teamwork to adapting treatment methods. After graduating in December 2025, Moose plans to work in a small animal clinic before attending veterinary school, while Phillips hopes to secure a position at a zoo.

鈥淚鈥檓 grateful I had this experience,鈥� Moose said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one thing to learn about these animals in class, but seeing them up close and caring for them is completely different.鈥�

Moose Morgan and the children at the Chipangali Wildlife Orphanage in Zimbabwe.