What sorts of distance do they have to travel?

They each tend to have their own areas to cover, close to their own farms. However, sometimes they will travel into another area if they have already treated that person's animals before and they are trusted. The furthest they are likely to have to travel is about 10km and an average journey would be about 4-5km. They tend to make two journeys per day, one in the morning and another in the evening. During the rest of the day the animals are likely to be away from the farms grazing and the heat is so great that travelling is even more uncomfortable.

They learn about animals needing treatment by word of mouth. That is the traditional means of communication in the area. A child may pass on a message at school, a neighbour at a market or at a communal water point. Sometimes, a farmer who wants treatment urgently will ask a child or a neighbour to call on the paravet to deliver the message.

The number of visits they have to make per day varies from season to season though at the peak (June-July) they may be asked to make as many as five per day.