What to expect from a Veterinary Internship in Portugal
“Participating in a Veterinary Internship Portugal was life changing! I gained hands-on experience, had unforgettable animal interactions, and have been inspired to continue to pursue my career in animal welfare.”
If you share Didar’s passion for animal welfare, you will find inspiration and adventure in joining a Veterinary Internship in Portugal. This unique internship offers the chance to care for animals whilst gaining hand-on-skills and understanding animal behaviours – and you will leave with a clearer vision of your future. Read on to learn about the unforgettable experiences that await you when you join a Veterinary Internship in Portugal!
Key Facts about this Veterinary Internship in Portugal
Location: Santarem, Portugal
Academic Focus Area: Animal Welfare, Conservation NGO, Veterinary Assistance
Length: 4-26 Weeks
The Internship
The Veterinary Internship in Portugal offers students and aspiring animal professionals a chance to gain practical and hands-on experience in animal welfare within a sanctuary environment. This internship provides opportunities to work with a variety of animals, including horses, pigs, bulls and smaller domestic animals. Interns support the sanitary management of enclosures, participate in daily feeding routines and general care, alongside supporting the rehabilitation of neglected and abused animals.
In addition to day-to-day care, interns can support medical treatments under veterinary supervision giving a valuable insight into clinical work in a nonprofit context. Through these tasks, interns will not only gain practical veterinary skills, but also a richer understanding of the importance of rescue work and grassroot approaches to conservation.
Explore more about our Veterinary Internships
The Organization
SOS Animal is a nonprofit, non-government organization dedicated to the protection and welfare of animals in Lisbon, Portugal and surrounding rural areas. Their mission is to rescue and care for animals in their wider community, as well as educating the public about animal wellbeing. The organization provides a safe home and hospital for neglected, abandoned, and abused animals whilst also raising awareness around the ethical treatment of animals. Their focus goes beyond immediate care, and focuses also on the education and advocacy campaigns to promote more responsible human and animal relationships, as well as building sustainable practices that support animal welfare.
Interns play a crucial role in supporting and assisting in the day-to-day management of the sanctuary, helping with feeding, enclosure maintenance, and monitoring animal welfare. Interns gain direct exposure to the challenges and rewards of animal rescue work.
Learn more about this nonprofit in Portugal
About Didar
For Didar Şevval Şencan, a fourth-year Atatürk University veterinary student from Türkiye, this animal welfare internship in Portugal was a transformative experience that supported her academic education and clarified her career goals. Drawn to the sanctuary by a passion to care for neglected and abused animals, the experience provided exactly that: a chance to combine academic learning with practical animal care.
Throughout her veterinary internship, Didar quickly became immersed in the daily routines of animal welfare and took part in a range of responsibilities. This included understanding animal behaviour, maintaining enclosures and learning how to interact with different species, which offered practical lessons in interaction with a wide variety of animals.
The Veterinary Internship was not just about caring for animals, but Didar also learned how to adapt to new cultural and working environments while engaging with a passionate grassroots team.
See if you are eligible to earn University Credits During your Internship
Memorable Moments
During Didar’s Veterinary Internship, one experience stood out as a defining moment of learning and understanding for her. She was tasked with addressing a sudden decline in the sanctuary’s pigeon population and coming up with a solution. Didar was responsible for the careful observation of the pigeons which went beyond routine tasks. Witnessing the decline of pigeon deaths firsthand allowed Didar to recognize the impact of attentive, hands-on care, even on the smallest and often overlooked animals.
“When some of the pigeons were dying unexpectedly, we prepared treatments and monitored them closely every day, working alongside the veterinarian. Seeing the deaths stop completely felt incredible moving to me, as it reminded me that even the smallest animals always deserve our attention and care”.
This experience exemplifies the immersive nature of the internship, as all interns move beyond observation to take an active role in meaningful projects, whatever they may be. Interns engage directly in the care of the animals, from horses to rabbits to goats and more to gain a deeper understanding of animal welfare. The hands-on involvement that Didar experienced reinforced her sense of contribution, and gave her confidence to get involved in a clinical setting.
Ultimately, moments like this highlight the transformative nature of internships with grassroots nonprofit, by showing that even small interventions can create lasting and tangible outcomes for both animals and veterinary interns.
What To Expect During a Veterinary Internship in Portugal
Practical Experience
During this Veterinary Internship in Portugal, Didar was given the opportunity to engage directly with a range of animals that went beyond traditional classroom learning. Unlike a typical academic environment, this hands-on internship allowed Didar to apply theoretical knowledge in real-world situations, developing practical skills, problem-solving abilities, and confidence in her own judgement.
“From managing enclosures to working with lots of species of animals, I developed a deeper understanding of animal care that I could never have gained in a classroom”.
Didar quickly learned that hands-on involvement was essential not only for the wellbeing of the animals, but for her own growth. The internship taught her how to be resilient, how to adapt, the importance of patience, and careful attention to detail. By participating in this Veterinary Internship Didar gained an understanding of animal and wildlife welfare in a profession and nonprofit organization setting.
Learn how internship experiences can impact your career
The Importance of Teamwork
During her Veterinary Internship, Didar worked side-by-side with experienced staff and other volunteers/interns, learning how to follow veterinary guidance whilst also supporting one another in the day-to-day life of living and working together in the clinic and sanctuary. From coordinating feeding schedules, assisting with health checks, and monitoring behaviour, every task relies on teamwork, communication, and shared responsibility. The experience highlighted for Didar how each intern’s contribution is integral to maintaining the wellbeing of the animals.
This collaborative approach strengthened Didar’s practical skills but also reinforces the value of working in a professional, caring, and goal-oriented environment which supported Didar in now pursuing a future in animal welfare and wildlife conservation.
“I quickly realized that caring for animals is never a solo effort. Following Veterinary guidance, supporting other interns, and learning from all of the amazing staff showed me the importance of Animal Welfare as a group effort. Being part of this team every intern matters in ensuring the animals thrive”.
Solidifying Career Goals
Internships are structured to guide young professionals in their career paths, and this Veterinary Internship in Portugal did exactly that by providing Didar with direction into the path she wants to take in her future career. The experience allowed her to engage deeply with the sanctuary’s day-to-day operations and contribute to meaningful work that directly impacted animal welfare. This meant that Didar was able to discover new skills.
This Veterinary Internship also allowed Didar to build confidence by the encouragement of the local vets and other Interns to recognize the importance of her contributions in the clinic to support not only the animals, but the local community in understanding the importance of animal welfare and wildlife conservation. This experience encouraged Didar to reflect on her own experience, which resulted in her leaving her internship in Portugal with a new sense of direction and motivation for her future.
“Participating in this internship gave me confidence in my own future to be meaningful and with purpose. This experience inspired me to want to open my own animal sanctuary back home in Türkiye.”
Didar’s dream of creating her own animal sanctuary highlights the transformative power of internships with nonprofit organizations. Her personal and professional development within this environment gave her the inspiration and guidance of how to shape her career. Her experience demonstrates how grassroots internships like this can spark long-term ambitions and help develop them into a career that makes a difference.
Check here for more reasons to doing an internship with an NGO
Embark on your own meaningful journey with Roots
Does Didar’s veterinary internship experience inspire your passion for animal welfare? Explore all of the Veterinary Internships we offer to find the opportunity that aligns with your interests, passions and career goals. If you would like guidance on selecting the perfect internship, our team is always ready to chat and help you secure an internship that gives you hands-on experience, practical skills, and unforgettable memories in the world of animal welfare!
Apply now for a Veterinary Internship
This blog was written by Faye Johnson
[ This experience acts as a valuable addition for interns on their resume, showing not only their academic skills, but their dedication to animal welfare, environmental issues, and demonstrates that ability to apply knowledge to real-world issues. This allows interns to stand out as candidates across diverse career paths. ]
