A devastating landslide has destroyed the Veterinary Clinic and all its contents as well as many enclosures at the well-established Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP) Centre outside Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia, where tragically 2 orangutans have since died.

Vet Dr Nigel Hicks along with Sara Fell Hicks (OVAID’s Co-Founders) rapidly fulfilled an urgent wish list from the centre and, with vet Dr Loretta Francia immediately headed out to Indonesia. After travelling for 2 gruelling days from Cornwall, the team reached the orangutan rescue centre to deliver the life-saving medical equipment and medicines for the distraught SOCP vet team.

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The vets are currently busy preparing a temporary clinic at the centre for all the donated equipment. OVAID have provided all the necessary veterinary equipment, medicines and sundries to fully function and care for the rescued 39 critically endangered Sumatran orangutans at the centre.

                                                                                                                              

As Dr Nigel says:

“Our focus is to re-equip their clinic facility with everything OVAID has donated over the years.

OVAID has a longstanding very close relationship with the Centre and the vets, having lived and worked alongside them. The charity has also run specialist workshops on-site and mentored their newly graduated vets. 

OVAID has drawn on its charity resources to supply the Centre's most immediate and pressing needs, but fully re-equipping a new clinic facility is daunting and will take a huge sum of money.

OVAID has therefore launched an urgent appeal to its supporters to raise £25,000.

All donations, no matter how large or small, help us towards our target. Your donation will be used exclusively to provide ongoing veterinary equipment and medicines and to help these dedicated vets to continue to provide the utmost care for their beloved orangutan under the most difficult and taxing conditions.”

 

The equipment already provided includes essential items such as patient critical care monitors, an anaesthetic machine, an autoclave, haematology and biochemistry analysers, surgical instruments,  a laboratory microscope, medicines and much, much more. In total, the trio succeeded in carrying out approximately 235kgs of donations.

 

OVAID have been working in challenging conditions to help the Vet team and their orangutan. It is hot and humid, but there is progress and the team at SOCP are so pleased to have had OVAID’s immediate help.

Dr Yenny Saraswati, SOCP Senior Veterinary Surgeon at SOCP’s Orangutan Rescue Centre messaged OVAID saying:

“On behalf of the SOCP Vet Team, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for your continued support and generous attention to our situation. We deeply appreciate your kindness during what has been a challenging time for all of us.”

 

More equipment will be required and to that end OVAID has launched a Just Giving appeal:

 https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/ovaidsumatravetappeal

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Any donation will be put to good use. Thank you for your help with this tragic situation.

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For more information contact Orangutan Veterinary Aid at info@ovaid.org or at 07836682964

 

 

Notes to Editors:

The Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP) started its Batu Mbelin Orangutan Quarantine and Rehabilitation Station programme just outside the North Sumatran capital city of Medan in 2001

SOCP rescues, rehabilitates and relocates wild orangutans that have become isolated in areas being converted to non-forest areas, such as oil palm plantations and other developments. Such drastic rescue interventions are always a last resort since it is usually a difficult, risky and stressful operation for all involved, they are only undertaken if the orangutan will surely die if otherwise left where they are. Sadly, such rescues are becoming increasingly necessary as forest patches become ever smaller and more isolated.

 

Furthermore, SOCP also confiscates orangutans that have been taken into the illegal pet trade. Together with the Indonesian Government’s Conservation Authorities (BKSDA), the NGO locates and confiscates illegally held orangutans and assists in prosecuting those involved in the trade of orangutans and other protected species.

 

Orangutan Veterinary Aid (OVAID)

Orangutan Veterinary Aid, a charity based in Launceston, Cornwall supplies essential medicines, equipment, veterinary expertise and workshops to orangutan rescue groups and rescue teams across Sumatra and Borneo. Whilst some is donated to them by the U.K. veterinary industry, also dedicated supporters help fundraise throughout the year to aid them in purchasing essential supplies.

The charity shares knowledge, provides specialist veterinary training and works to improve the welfare of this critically endangered species.

www.ovaid.org

info@ovaid.org

https://www.facebook.com/OrangutanVeterinaryAid

https://www.instagram.com/orangutanveterinaryaid/

 

Orangutan Veterinary Aid, Registered Charity Number 1167620

20, St Thomas Hill, Launceston, Cornwall PL15 8BL