Working with Morocco’s Horses: Journey’s End
- Topics: Article, Working With a Veterinarian
The article At Work in Morocco, published in The Horse magazine in June 2006, highlighted the conditions of working equids in the African nation. But it also performed an additional function, inspiring a third-year veterinary student at the University of Florida to travel halfway around the world for a veterinary externship unlike anything he’s experienced before.
Follow along with student Jeremy Campfield as he posts electronic journal entries on TheHorse.com during his month at the American Fondouk Hospital in Fez, Morocco.
The American Fondouk is a full-service animal hospital in Fez that treats 50-100 animals per day, and more than 20,000 annually (in 2005, the hospital serviced a record 22,000 animals). Fez is considered the northern capital of Morocco, and it is the cultural and religious capital. The Medina (old city) in Fez is the largest contiguous car-free area in the world, with some streets as narrow as two feet and none wider than 16 feet.
The hospital’s resident veterinarian, Denys Frappier, DVM, will serve as Jeremy’s advisor.
Frappier at one point in his career was the head veterinarian for the Canadian Olympic equestrian team and has participated in six Olympic Games. He originally volunteered for a one-year stint, but was so struck by the plight of the people and animals of Morocco that, 12 years later, he is still working at the Fondouk.
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Post 1: Ready to Go
Since no typed words will truly describe the goings on in Fez and the Fondouk, I can only recommend that anyone who gets the chance try and visit Morocco. Be forewarned that the culture is very different in all respects, and as an American you are a source of income for the people here. Moroccans can get pretty creative about getting tourists’ money. There are a number of good travel references available, but the best situation is like the one I had at the Fondouk, where I lived with locals who could show me around and explain all of the ins and outs of functioning in this country, including how not to get ripped off. Speaking French was a tremendous advantage as well. Mohammed described it best today when he said “Morocco is always an adventure that starts the second you step off the plane.” If you do decide to visit Fez, be sure to stop by the Fondouk and say “hi” to Dr. Frappier and meet the staff. The doors are open to the public weekdays from 7:30 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. Spending just an hour or two observing what goes on in the Fondouk is guaranteed to be an eye-opener.
The political plight at the Fondouk seems direr every day. The depot of supplies and drugs are still sitting at the airport. Now the airport has been calling the Fondouk and threatening to return the shipment to the U.S. if the Fondouk does not pick it up. With no sign that Morocco is going to budge and grant the proper customs authorization for Dr. Frappier to pick up the supplies, the life blood of the Fondouk is trickling away. This is indescribably frustrating and has recently been a source of constant stress for the Fondouk’s employees.
While the working animals in Morocco have it hard, many of the people are suffering as well TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com. Already have an account? Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with |
