This summer, Hailey Wierzba, 20, of Almond, spent two weeks in South Africa helping animals and learning hands-on what it’s like to be a veterinarian.

Traveling with study-abroad organization Loop Abroad, Wierzba was selected as part of a small team that volunteered at Feracare Wildlife Centre caring for cheetahs and other African animals.

The Veterinary Service program brings students to South Africa for two weeks to volunteer alongside veterinarians from the U.S. and from South African animal experts.

Wierzba, who is a junior at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, and her team took a course in the anatomy, behavior and conservation of big cats such as cheetahs so that they could be better equipped to study and help support the animals at Feracare.

“As a psychology major hanging out with a bunch of vet students, I wasn’t sure what to expect,” said Wierzba.

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