Every year, thousands of people travel to Palmarito Beach on the southern coast of Oaxaca, Mexico, to visit one of the world’s largest sea turtle sanctuaries. They help guard the clutches of eggs and release the hatchlings into the Pacific Ocean. 

For the past two years, University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine students, faculty, and staff have been among the crowds but for different reasons. They do have a chance to visit the turtles, but their primary mission centers on other local animals. They’re part of a contingent of veterinary volunteers helping to curb the population of local dogs that roam the beaches, attack the turtles, and eat their eggs. 

For two weeks this past January, five fourth-year students, and faculty advisors Dr. Melinda Wilkins and veterinary technician Jenny Glover joined other volunteers from across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to provide free spay and neuter services for local pets through the Mazunte Project.

Since the program began in 2004, the Mazunte Project’s volunteers have operated on more than 15,000 animals and saved the lives of more than 100,000 turtle hatchlings. This year, the Minnesota team collectively performed 217 surgeries in makeshift outdoor operating rooms set up on town plazas or in front of health centers.

“It was totally exhausting and totally worth it,” Wilkins says, “We had an amazing team this year, and I was so proud of how hard they worked and the way they supported each other.”

The volunteers traveled to a different beach community every day, where they would set up their mobile clinic, and the community members would bring in their animals on a first-come, first-served basis. The surgeons were limited in their choice of equipment and could bring only what they could carry. 

“We bring our own water, disinfectant, meds, clippers—everything but the dog,” Wilkins says.

For the students, it was a chance not only to do good in the world but also to hone their veterinary skills. Fourth-year student Nikki Martinson plans on going into general practice, where the most common surgeries are spaying and neutering. Prior to the Mazunte Project, she had performed three of these surgeries. In Mexico, she completed 27 procedures and her confidence grew with each operation. 

Besides the vet students, the team was made up of veterinary technicians, volunteers, and experienced veterinarians, who helped out with the more complex surgeries and demonstrated techniques for the students. Martinson appreciated the opportunity to try out new methods and figure out which worked best for her. 

“It was amazing to start a surgery and just feel like, ‘Yeah, I don’t need help, I got this,’” she says.

This year the team was also joined by two Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine residents, who used the trip as a chance to do two studies: one to measure changes in students’ confidence and their surgical skills, and a second study to better understand the veterinary needs of the local communities. Wilkins says the studies will be published soon. 

In their free time, the volunteers explored the towns, participated in a sea turtle release, and went on a whale- and dolphin-spotting boat trip. Martinson also enjoyed meeting people in each town and experiencing different cultures. She hopes this won’t be her last experience with the Mazunte Project.

“I would love to go back down as a practicing vet and be able to help them do surgeries,” Martinson says, “and then guide the next generation of vet students.”