Each January, a volunteer group of approximately 30 veterinarians, technicians, students, and devoted individuals from around the country travel to Oaxaca, Mexico to conduct an intensive spay/neuter program in rural villages situated along the Pacific coast. In collaboration with the Mexican National Turtle Center, the group’s mission is to protect the endangered sea turtles by controlling the population of dogs that eat the turtle eggs and hatchlings along several of the most important sea turtle nesting beaches in the world.

Since the program’s inception in 2001, the group has effectively controlled the packs of dogs that previously dominated these beaches, contributed to the preservation of the sea turtle species, and improved the overall health of the pet population in these underserved communities.

This year, the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine was represented by students Katharina Freiberger, DVM class of 2019, and Lora Gurley, DVM class of 2018, Dr. Emery Engers, assistant professor, and MSU alumnus, Dr. Pierre DePorre. They were 1 of 5 mobile surgery teams who completed 512 sterilization surgeries across Oaxaca, Mexico.

Each day, the team travelled to a different coastal community that was pre-selected based on the impact of its canine population on sea turtle nesting sites. The vast majority of the surgeries performed were ovariohysterectomies on mature, large-breed dogs. Many of them had coagulopathies (coagulating is excessive bleeding, usually due to a lack of clotting) due to chronic Ehrlichiosis (a tick-borne bacterial disease), making it extra challenging. The team also was exposed to diseases seen less frequently in the United States, such as dogs with transmissible venereal tumors. Under the close mentorship of Engers and DePorre, the students performed more than 35 surgeries, which improved their surgical skills, efficiency, and confidence. 

We began our first week in Mexico by visiting two towns near Mazunte to spay and neuter dogs and cats. We started out by helping to administer medications, place IV catheters, incubate patients, clip and scrub for surgery, and recover patients. On both days, we saw a laceration due to a machete and multiple cases of TVT (Transmissible Venereal Tumor) on the animals. During the next two weeks, we went to various smaller towns and performed 10 days of surgery and 212 spays and neuters. When our team joined the other 4 veterinary teams, the larger group performed an additional 300 surgeries total.

The rural nature of the underserved villages that our team visited provided unique challenges. Most notable was the outdoor field setting where we performed the surgeries. Innovation, patience, and compromise were necessary to effectively balance our goals to operate as a mobile unit, perform a high volume of surgeries, and maintain quality and safety for our patients. With all of us working together, helping each other, handling the inevitable surprises, and anticipating each other’s needs, a real sense of teamwork, mentorship, and adaptability developed while we worked within these conditions, and provided an invaluable experience for us to carry forward into our professional careers.

The cultural climate is another aspect of this experience that we are certain to remember. Curious locals and young children came to watch our surgical teams in action, which offered opportunities for us to educate and bond with community members and even practice our Spanish. These interactions served as a trust builder in the participating villages, as it was common for unfounded fears and misinformation to prevent people from taking advantage of our services. We also took time to observe the sea turtles in their natural habitat and participate in a newborn sea turtle release into the ocean, which gave us a deep sense of purpose. 

Overall, the Mazunte Project was a great experience that allowed us to interact with some of the locals and help them in any way that we could. Over the three short weeks, my surgical skills improved immensely; I went from slowly stumbling through a spay to confidently maneuvering through the different steps. As a veterinary medical student, opportunities like the Mazunte Project not only improve our clinical skills, but they give us a better and different perspective on the world and what it is like for pets in different parts of it.

I performed 37 independent surgeries; so, it’s safe to say that The Mazunte Project was an excellent opportunity to solidify my clinical and surgical skills, gain cultural awareness, practice and improve my Spanish language skills, and learn how to adjust to the challenges that often face practitioners. I expanded my network of professional colleagues and I formed friendships that will last a lifetime. 

I saw humpback whales jump entirely out of the water. I stayed in a hotel on a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. I ate delicious and authentic Mexican dishes. I released baby sea turtles into the ocean. The Mazunte Project is a chance to not only improve clinical proficiency, but also to establish a global identity. It's the type of project where you know you're making a difference in the community and the community is making a difference in you.