2024 Veterinary Camps
These camps are All New!
New Topics & New Logistics
We are updating and improving our Veterinary Camps
In 2024, the North Carolina Zoo's Veterinary Section will offer two one-day Junior Veterinary Camps and two two-day Senior Veterinary Camps. These one-of-a-kind camps offer aspiring veterinarians an opportunity to explore veterinary medicine in general and to gain insight into some issues that must be addressed to care for non-domestic animals living in zoos or in the wild.
Who Teaches:
The Zoo's veterinary staff leads our veterinary camp programs with assistance from camp counselors who are currently attending N.C. State's College of Veterinary Medicine. Campers engage in hands-on activities that simulate general veterinary medicine procedures and explore techniques, equipment, and diagnostic procedures related to the unique needs of wildlife. Training classes take place inside the Zoo's Veterinary Complex.
The dates for 2024's one-day Junior Camps are as follows:
Saturday, May 4
Saturday, June 8
The dates for 2024's Overnight Senior Camps are as follows:
Saturday and Sunday, August 10-11
Saturday and September 14-15
Program Activities
Junior and Senior camps provide hands-on practice with some basic veterinary procedures—giving physical exams, drawing blood, and more—and address some of the specialized skills veterinarians use to care for wild animals living in zoos and in the wild (e.g., darting animals to administer anesthesia). Classes are appropriate for rising 8th, 9th and 10th graders.
Junior and Senior camps provide hands-on practice with some basic veterinary procedures—giving physical exams, drawing blood, and more—and address some of the specialized skills veterinarians use to care for wild animals living in zoos and in the wild (e.g., darting animals to administer anesthesia). Classes are appropriate for rising 8th, 9th and 10th graders.
During their stay, Senior campers also participate in behind-the-scenes experiences inside the Zoo, including a nighttime hike inside the Zoo. Sessions are suitable for rising 10th, 11th, or 12th graders and for students planning to enter college or technical school in the fall of 2024. Campers sleep in the Valerie H. Schindler Learning Center, a residential facility next to the veterinary hospital. Counselors, all of whom are current students at the North Carolina State College of Veterinary Medicine, remain with the campers throughout their stay and counsel campers about training for a career in veterinary medicine.
Learn more or begin the application process by clicking here.
Junior Veterinary Camps are Suitable for Rising 7th-, 8th and 9th-graders
Senior Veterinary Camps are Suitable for Rising 10th-graders to First-year College Students