The Mazunte Project, one of the MSU College of Veterinary Medicine's international programs, is a collaboration between veterinarians, students, and volunteers across the United States who come together each January to perform sterilization surgeries in rural and underserved Mexican communities along the Pacific Coast. The mission? To protect the endangered sea turtle by controlling the dog population that consume the turtle eggs and hatchlings along several of the most important nesting beaches in the world.

The Mazunte Project was founded in 2001 by Richard Rodger, DVM, small animal practitioner from North Grafton, Massachusetts and Marcelino Reyes, DVM, practitioner at the Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga (Mexico Turtle Center) in Mazunte in Oaxaca, Mexico.

In 2026, a hearty handful of Spartans journeyed south, marking a quarter century of the program. Each Veterinary and Veterinary Nursing student averages participation in 35 spay/neuter procedures for local dogs and cats, with the entire group performing more than 500. Thousands of animals have benefitted from the program, and dozens of students from the valuable hands-on experience and cultural exchange.

Photos from the 2026 Trip