Rhodes

Destination	Rhodes, Greece
Suitability	New graduates and veterinary students
Dates	Watch this space - 2009 dates coming soon!
Number of places
Cost (per person)	£500 (excluding flights but including accommodation and hire car)

What This Trip Offers

Noah's Ark Animal Welfare was set up in recent years to help tackle the problem of stray and abandoned animals in Rhodes. WVS is in the process of establishing a good working relationship with the charity which will include the provision of regular teams to help Noah's Ark with their neutering campaign.

VetAdventure teams will consist of 4 new graduates / veterinary students with 2 experienced WVS small animal vets and one or two experienced qualified WVS vet nurses.

You will stay in a local guesthouse or villa and transportation will be organised for the team in the form of a hire car allowing you flexibility to get around the island. The village of Gennadi has several restaurants, a supermarket and a medical centre. There are also restaurants along the seafront nearby.

Although a dedicated working space, surgical instruments and medical supplies will be made available, volunteers should be aware that facilities will be fairly basic compared to UK small animal hospitals and adaptation or improvisation may at times be necessary.

General Information

You will be volunteering to join the WVS team to work with Noah's Ark Animal Welfare, on the Greek island of Rhodes. Noah’s Ark Animal Welfare rescues stray and unwanted animals from all over the island.

Noah's Ark are currently housing some 80 dogs at their sanctuary. The accommodation comprises 16 compounds of which 10 are individual pens designated for single occupancy (new arrivals and quarantine) or for nursing dogs. Where possible, dogs are re-homed (commonly to mainland Europe) following sterilisation and treatment.

Noah’s Ark also supports 10 winter cat feeding stations which currently provide care for over 200 cats. The need to manage cat colonies is vital - the cat population will only increase unless an effective sterilisation programme is put in place.

Cost

The cost of this week is £500 per applicant. This excludes the cost of flights, but includes all accommodation and a hire car. You will be responsible for transport to and from the airport in the UK and your own insurance. Applicants will be required to pay a £200 non-refundable deposit at the time of booking.

Flights

Flights will be to Rhodes airport where you will be met on arrival by a WVS representative. These trips are exclusive of flights but the VetAdventure Team are happy to help you with the organisation and booking. Any information you give us in relation to this will only be used to book flights and will not be retained or passed to third parties.

Insurance

We recommend that you book travel insurance prior to your trip with VetAdventure. Please specify that you will be working with animals as this may be a limiting factor with certain insurance companies. VetAdventure frequently use Go Walkabout Insurance (www.go-walkabout.co.uk). Volunteers will need to contact the company directly to clarify that veterinary work will be involved in the trip.

Health

Please check with your local doctor or travel clinic for details of which vaccinations are required for travel in this area . More information can be found at www.netdoctor.co.uk/travel, just click on the "Country Guide". You may need to allow several weeks before travel in order for immunisations to be effective so don't leave this to the last minute.

How to Apply

To apply please complete our downloadable booking form and return to the office by e-mail (please ensure the form is signed), fax or post. If you cannot download the booking form please contact the office via e-mail at bookings@vetadventure.com and we will be happy to send a copy to you.