SOCP Emergency Mission Update
22/12/24

A series of catastrophic landslides hit the Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP) Orangutan Rescue Centre at Batu Mbelin, Medan, Nth Sumatra at 1.a.m. on Wednesday 27th November completely destroying the veterinary clinic and multiple holding cages and seriously damaging the infant house. Luckily there was no loss of human life but sadly, 2 orangutan died, the remaining 39 being saved.

 

OVAID were in direct contact with the vet team within 48 hours and received news that virtually everything in the vet clinic had been lost, the vets now had few medicines and no facilities or equipment with which to help the orangutan. OVAID immediately leapt into action to assist and contacted all its suppliers for urgent delivery of veterinary equipment.

 

The veterinary industry responded immediately and, without any hesitation, generously supplied large amounts of equipment at discount or without charge. OVAID are particularly grateful to the following companies:

JAK Marketing Ltd

Woodley Equipment Company Ltd

Zoetis U.K.

Millpledge

Pet-ID Microchips

iMs

iM3

Kruuse U.K.

G9

Prestige Medical

Meadows

Anequip

Eickemeyer

 

Within 1 week of receiving detailed requests for emergency medical supplies and equipment from the vet team an OVAID charity team of 3 people (Dr Nigel Hicks & Sara Fell Hicks Co-founders and Dr Loretta Francia) had packed 235kg of equipment into 12 cases and was en route to Sumatra. The charity would also like to thank British Airways who waived baggage charges for the team allowing all the equipment to travel to Singapore free of charges. Many people forget that to deliver such quantities of equipment requires not only a great human physical effort but is also extremely costly in excess baggage charges.

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Arriving in Medan, the team were stunned to witness the devastation at the site. Only a single damaged wall of the once pretty and exceptionally well-equipped veterinary clinic remained - everything buried beneath several feet of thick mud. The remains of holding cages, torn and twisted, poked from the rubble and much of the site was laid to desolate muddy waste. Huge trees blocked paths making access to the remaining parts of the site difficult and the OVAID team praised the vets and keepers for their courage and determination in rescuing all the orangutan. 9 babies had been plucked from the infant house whose play cage was distorted and full of rubble whilst the building itself was knee-deep in mud.

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​​Sara surveys the remaining clinic wall and notes that the doorway is half-covered in mud.         The remains Vet clinic in left distance + damaged cages

 

After obtaining customs clearance for all the items the group were able to help the vet team unpack and assemble everything which included an anaesthetic machine / critical care patient monitor/ patient monitors/ haematology and biochemistry analysers/ centrifuge/ microscope/ examination light/ autoclave /intravenous drip stand/stethoscopes/ electric clippers/ surgical instruments / disinfectants/ medicines / consumables and surgical scrub sets to name but a few! (see video below)

 

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On- site the OVAID team were also able to assist in the start of the clear-up programme including searching for buried equipment, cleaning and starting to re-purpose surviving buildings to establish a temporary clinic area. It is hoped that within a week the vet team may have a temporary base on-site from which to be able to continue to provide daily veterinary care for the orangutans using the equipment supplied by OVAID.

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                      OVAID works with the SOCP vet team to salvage items in their temporary clinic area

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On 20th December the OVAID team returned to the U.K. to continue to continue to help co-ordinate the supply of some of the larger pieces of equipment which will be needed over the coming months.

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                                    The SOCP team outside one of the unaffected buildings on the site

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The charity cannot thank all of its supporters enough for their amazing generosity at this difficult time especially as we approach Christmas with all its commitments and expenses. This rescue mission is far from over, the SOCP team are working together in the face of adversity but are treating it as a set back not a hopeless cause. This is a testament to their dedication and to the generosity and selflessness of everyone and restores a faith in human nature at a time when things seem bleak.

 

THANK YOU