Animal Shelter & Veterinary Care in Fiji

I had an amazing time at the animal shelter! Cuddling with puppies and kittens was definitely a highlight. In addition to the cute moments, there was also plenty of hands-on work like feeding, cleaning cages, and walking the dogs. I also got to help out in the animal hospital, where I cared for animals after surgeries and helped nurse weaker animals back to health. The best part of all was the puppy bath party – absolutely adorable and so much fun! I also had incredibly kind and helpful colleagues, with whom I had lots of great exchanges. This gave me a real insight into life in Fiji. The experience was not only enriching in terms of working with animals but also culturally invaluable. The accommodation was lovely, and the food was delicious. The animal shelter was easy to reach with the express bus, which made commuting simple. Masi and his wife are incredibly kind and always there whenever you need help. They really made my stay even more special with their warmth and hospitality. I highly recommend this experience to anyone who loves animals and wants to have a meaningful, enriching time in Fiji!

Looking after dogs, cats and puppies was my main task. Taking them for a walk and giving them lots of love is the best thing you can do. Some of them went through a lot so they needed you much more. So grateful for the everyone I got to know the last two weeks! Accommodation & food were great!

I enjoyed working at the animal shelter, and being able to use my experience in veterinary to help the shelter. My favorite week was when I was working at the shelter and they let me do an outreach clinic in RakiRaki for one week. At the outreach clinic we met with the Ministry of Agriculture and facilitated a spay/neuter and release program. It was very remote, and we stayed in a ‘bure’. The property had a private beach and pool! It was incredible! The stay was an AirB&B, and it had many feral cats on the premises. One day when we got done early we asked the owner if he wanted us to de-sex his cats, and he happily agreed. So we desexed animals on the porch of our bure in view of the ocean. I really liked the people that I worked with at Animals Fiji and they made me feel at home. At the end of my trip, they threw a little party for me, with pop and treats. They gave me a tote bag and thank-you note that everyone signed heart-felt messages. Even after I was done with the animal shelter program, I met a shelter employee in Suva for dinner after a day of health checks. At the nutrition outreach It was sad to see the high blood pressure and blood glucose levels. It was rough to see some people with hypertension, because they had already had multiple strokes. During the project I got the sense from a lot of people that they were not going to take my advice, but many people really seemed to want help, and that made all the difference! The Team: Danielle, Masi and Mere, and the Animals Fiji Team were great and very helpful. The accommodation was very nice, comfortable, and clean. It was actually much nicer than I expected. I got to try many new things. Some I really enjoyed, others not so much. It is about what I expected when eating a diet completely new. I really got homesick for foods that I am used to, but I knew that when I went to Fiji I would eat completely different things. Mere always had the house stocked with food, and made sure that I knew I was welcome to It.