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Want to gain a unique career experience? Ready to travel internationally with both independence and support? Consider joining one of our incredible veterinary internships abroad!
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Our veterinary internships abroad offer a blend of career experience and travel, providing more flexibility than our study abroad programs. They are an excellent choice for students who want to gain valuable knowledge while still having the freedom to travel and explore independently. We simplify the logistics for you by handling the placement and housing, so you don’t have to navigate, find, and vet your own opportunity abroad. Like traditional internships, you will be placed with one of our partner projects, where you’ll spend approximately 35–40 hours per week, Monday through Friday, shadowing, observing, or assisting, as needed. This experience can be a valuable addition to your resume, and some colleges may even offer internship credit. However, please note that these internships differ from our standard programs—you won’t have a daily Loop Abroad staff member, a teaching vet, or pre-scheduled activities and transportation. Instead, you’ll have the independence to travel on your own, supported by your Loop Abroad and in-country coordinator.
The Belize Zoo internship brings you to tropical Belize where you’ll get hands-on experience working and learning at the Belize Zoo. This internship is perfect for those looking for experience with wildlife in a zoo setting, zookeeping or animal husbandry.
All participants are required to be fully Tetanus vaccinated and to take a skin test for Tuberculosis.
During your internship, you’ll earn animal experience hours and learn from the amazing staff that makes up the Belize Zoo. Though this is not a veterinary internship, you may also have the chance to shadow a veterinarian who visits the zoo to do health check ups. This unique internship brings you behind the scenes to give you first-hand experience working at a zoo and providing care to animals in need. The main goal of this internship is to offer interns first-hand experience working with ongoing programs within The Belize Zoo in the Animal Care & Management and Education Department.
Activities may include (depends on what is at the sanctuary at the time of internship):
You can receive one credit hour from Culver-Stockton College for every 40 internship hours for this program. (Optional. Additional fee applies.)
The duration of the internship will be at least 2 weeks and maximum of 4 weeks. Cost by week listed below. Want to stay longer? Check out our Belize Raptor Internship that you can combine with this internship!
2 weeks: $1,500
3 weeks: $2,250
4 weeks: $3,000
Included: housing, meals, airport transfer
Not included: flight
The Gilman Scholarship could fund $5000 of your tuition plus there is an additional STEM Supplemental Award of $1000 you an apply for. The next round of applications opens mid-August and the deadline is March 5, 2026, at 11:59pm Pacific Time.
If you are a US citizen receiving a Pell Grant and currently enrolled in college or university, we encourage you to apply for this scholarship! See the official website for the latest details and read about Loop Abroad students who have received this scholarship.
Founded as a way to provide a home for a variety of wild animals that had been used in the making of documentary films about tropical forests, the Belize Zoo is now home to over 200 animals, representing over 45 native species! The Zoo keeps animals that were orphaned, rescued, born at the zoo, rehabilitated animals, or sent to The Belize Zoo as donations from other zoological institutions. The zoo is set in a natural habitat for the animals, the Belizian jungle, which is a perfect setting for the resident wildlife. It also provides an immersive educational experience for visitors, volunteers and interns.
It can get very wet and muddy in the rainy season which runs June through November. The temperature is warm all year round, but in the rainy season there can be brief but intense downpours of rain. This means you will get muddy if you are traveling to Belize in these months! The best part of this season is the rainforest and wildlife come alive with vibrant green hues, the plants, trees and flowers and fauna all in full bloom.
Interns will report for work Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 5:00pm, except on public and bank holidays. You are free to schedule tours and excursions on your free time but should let the TEC housing know they do not need to prepare your meals while you are away.