From Curiosity to Compassion: Vet Students Transformed by Visit to LIONSROCK
Big cat sanctuary experience empowers the next generation of veterinarians with a powerful lesson in animal welfare and ethical care
Bethlehem, South Africa – 10 July 2025 — Recently, a special group of 58 international veterinary students visited LIONSROCK Big Cat Sanctuary as part of the annual SYMCO Wildlife Symposium. LIONSROCK once again served as an immersive learning destination, offering a firsthand glimpse into the world of big cat veterinary care. The students, hailing from all corners of the globe, were treated to an engaging one-day experience that merged medical procedures, educational lectures, and guided sanctuary tours.
The young students experienced first-class animal welfare over the course of their visit by partaking in dental procedures for two of the sanctuary’s residents: lions Maru and Simona. These procedures, carried out with precision, offered the students a rare opportunity to witness complex dental care in big cats while under the guidance of seasoned professionals—Professor Gerard Steenkamp of the University of Pretoria and Dr. Peter Caldwell of Old Chapel Veterinary Clinic—supported by the dedicated LIONSROCK animal welfare and veterinary team.
The students rotated through the clinic in small groups, observing treatments up close while others explored the sanctuary on guided tours. Wildlife vet and specialised dental expert, Professor Gerard Steenkamp, delivered a gripping lecture to end the day of learning. This sentiment echoed as dinnertime conversations overflowed with questions and reflections, making it clear that their visit had left a deep and lasting impression.
It is important to note that coordinating a visit of this scale is not without its challenges, but the LIONSROCK Visitor Services team rose to the occasion. From seamless transport logistics to warm hospitality and well-organised conference sessions, every detail was thoughtfully arranged to give the students not just a visit, but a memorable experience that would surely stand out in their journey to becoming veterinarians. “This visit wasn’t just about what the students learned, it was about what they felt,” Pirker reflected.
LIONSROCK is the only true sanctuary featured on the SYMCO itinerary and played a unique role in the students’ two-week programme as they travelled to different wildlife locations in South Africa. The collaboration between SYMCO and LIONSROCK helps solidify the foundation in positively impacting future veterinarians, ensuring that animal welfare is in good hands, and paws.
/ENDS
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FOUR PAWS is the global animal welfare organisation for animals under direct human influence, which reveals suffering, rescues animals in need and protects them. Founded in 1988 in Vienna by Heli Dungler and friends, the organisation advocates for a world where humans treat animals with respect, empathy and understanding. The sustainable campaigns and projects of FOUR PAWS focus on companion animals including stray dogs and cats, farm animals and wild animals – such as bears, big cats and orangutans – kept in inappropriate conditions as well as in disaster and conflict zones. With offices in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Kosovo, the Netherlands, Switzerland, South Africa, Thailand, Ukraine, the UK, the USA and Vietnam as well as sanctuaries for rescued animals in eleven countries, FOUR PAWS provides rapid help and long-term solutions. www.four-paws.org.za