From May 25 until June 5, 2009, students from the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Canada, came to CIVAS through a program called Global Vets 2009. The students were Matthew Allen, Ryan Aguanno, Amanda Breur, and Gillian Park; forming Southeast Asia Team 2. Global Vets is a program developed by the Ontario Veterinary College. It is offered to students interested in investigating animal health in developing countries such as Botswana, Chile, Gambia, East Africa (Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi), Southeast Asia 1 (Thailand), and Southeast Asia 2 (Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand). This program was started in 1997 by two second year students of the Ontario Veterinary College and was based on a program called Defi Vet-Monde from the Faculte de Medecine Veterinaire, University of Montreal Canada.

Participating students expect to gain experiences in developing countries especially about the culture and geographical conditions. Southeast Asia Team 2 said “We plan on combating avian influenza for the hundreds of millions of people in Indonesia; helping care for Thailand’s national symbol, the elephant; and working on protecting people, animals, and the environment from rabies in Cambodia. We chose to visit SE Asia for its wide variety of species and the unique opportunities it offers. The emerging economy allows one to experience world class technologies in countries with predominantly rural populations. As well, the chance to visit bordering countries that contain large populations of Muslims, Buddists, Christians, Hindus, and others provides unique challenges that we are excited to discover”.

To help Global Vets students to know more about the poultry industry and AI in Indonesia, CIVAS took them to visit places directly connected to poultry in Indonesia, such as poultry collecting facilities in South Jakarta, a broiler farm owned by PT Primatama Teknotama, a layer farm owned by C.V. Anugrah, the Sukabumi Native Chicken Farm Group (KEPRAKS), a poultry slaughterhouse owned by PT Primatama Karya Persada, and free-range duck farms in Tangerang district.

The students also visited other places such as the Cikole-Lembang Dairy Cow Breeding Center, Taman Safari Indonesia, and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (FKH) and Animal Hospital (RSH) of the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) where CIVAS collaborated with vet students within the Indonesian Veterinary Student Association (IMAKAHI), Student Executive Body (BEM), Veterinary English Club (VEC), and animal-interest clubs. At the FKH-IPB, students discussed and exchanged information on the study curriculum at their colleges.

On their last day with CIVAS, Global Vets students gave a presentation on what they have learned for two weeks and also about the Ontario Veterinary College and Global Vets. Besides that, they also presented about poultry and dairy in Canada. Global Vets Southeast Asia Team 2 had expressed their hope that next year’s Global Vets could collaborate again with CIVAS with more depth in other health programs besides AI.