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What better way to introduce Orangutan Veterinary Aid (OVAID), than with words from the co-founders themselves. Let Nigel & Sara introduce who they are, what they do, and how you can get involved below...
"Luck gave me the opportunity to experience working with orangutan after 35 years as a mixed practice vet and I haven’t looked back with any regrets since. Our journey started by chance 13 years ago when a volunteer opportunity at an orangutan rescue centre in Sabah, in the northeastern tip of Borneo turned into the offer of a job for myself. Slightly daunted at the prospect of caring for more than 50 critically endangered orangutan and concerned that I had perhaps suddenly become a charlatan wildlife veterinarian, Sara and I, nevertheless launched ourselves wholeheartedly into our new, tropical career.
We worked together as vet and assistant in Malaysian Borneo in the orangutan rescue centre over a 5-year period from 2009 and we were often sent into Indonesian Borneo to work alongside orangutan rescue teams. It was obvious to us that there was a desperate need to help these vets on the frontline of orangutan conservation whose centres were not government-funded, unlike those in Malaysia and this planted the seed of what would become our charity, Orangutan Veterinary Aid (OVAID). In Indonesia, we found a situation where the rate of deforestation was continuing at breakneck speed and huge numbers of orangutan rescues were being undertaken resulting in over a thousand resident orangutans in the Indonesian rescue centres of Kalimantan and Sumatra. Compared to Sabah in Malaysia, this was a world apart and we knew that Indonesia was where we needed to focus our attention and resources.
We worked together as vet and assistant in Malaysian Borneo in the orangutan rescue centre over a 5-year period from 2009 and we were often sent into Indonesian Borneo to work alongside orangutan rescue teams. It was obvious to us that there was a desperate need to help these vets on the frontline of orangutan conservation whose centres were not government-funded, unlike those in Malaysia and this planted the seed of what would become our charity, Orangutan Veterinary Aid (OVAID). In Indonesia, we found a situation where the rate of deforestation was continuing at breakneck speed and huge numbers of orangutan rescues were being undertaken resulting in over a thousand resident orangutans in the Indonesian rescue centres of Kalimantan and Sumatra. Compared to Sabah in Malaysia, this was a world apart and we knew that Indonesia was where we needed to focus our attention and resources.
We saw a desperate need for veterinary equipment, medicines and supplies which OVAID has since continuously sought to fulfil, but also a need for practical veterinary assistance and so, in 2014 when leaving Sabah, the OVAID charity was born. Since 2014 we have spent over 2.5 years volunteering at orangutan rescue centres as part of the veterinary teams in Indonesian Borneo, at International Animal Rescue in Ketapang, BOS Foundation at Nyaru Menteng and Sumatra at Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP) where I mentored SOCP’s new graduate vet for 6 months in 2016.
Our aim as a charity has always been to support the veterinary teams, on the frontline, we fulfil ongoing Veterinary Wish Lists at all the major orangutan rescue centres in Indonesia and to date have donated over £260,000 of veterinary supplies, including anything from lifesaving drip sets to £45,000 Digital X-Ray systems.
Our aim as a charity has always been to support the veterinary teams, on the frontline, we fulfil ongoing Veterinary Wish Lists at all the major orangutan rescue centres in Indonesia and to date have donated over £260,000 of veterinary supplies, including anything from lifesaving drip sets to £45,000 Digital X-Ray systems.
OVAID are a small, completely voluntary run charity with minimal overheads and we are sure that this has helped us grow and brought us donations from dedicated supporters who see that we can respond rapidly to urgent requests and deliver exactly what is needed by the rescue teams. Of course, we cannot do this alone or even with the help of individual supporters but luckily we have been able to develop positive associations with veterinary businesses. A chance meeting with Michelle and Jane of J.A.K Marketing at the London Vet Show back in 2015 sowed the seed of an amazing and generous relationship which has grown over the years and seen us able to support the orangutan rescue teams with equipment which would otherwise have been completely impossible. Not only are J.A.K relentless in their efforts to assist us, they have even ventured into the humid and sweaty tropical rainforest with us to see the very orangutan that they help!
With our extensive knowledge and experience from working within the vet teams, OVAID realised the importance of long-term maintenance of this supplied equipment and the need for continuous training and support. To this end, the charity now also concentrates on providing in situ training by vets and experts and funds a scholarship to bring Indonesian orangutan vets to the UK for an exchange of ideas and further education at centres of excellence including Liverpool University, Chester Zoo, Paignton Zoo and specialist veterinary practices. During the pandemic, the charity (together with BOSF Schweiz) also funded a three-month training programme at BOSF Samboja Lestari by an experienced wildlife/primate veterinarian. This programme facilitated the extensive training of the young vet team and resulted in more than 20 orangutans and 30 sun bear surgeries being carried out initially under supervision but ultimately by the resident vet team themselves.
The welfare of rescued and rehabilitant orangutan is our priority together with supporting the veterinary teams that care for them and we cannot thank James and the whole team at J.A.K Marketing enough for all that they do for us year in and year out."
Can you help us to help them?
Along with regular equipment & consumable donations, from each sale of Purfect Disposable Drapes we make a monetary donation to OVAID.
•  10p donated from each pack/roll
•  50p donated from each box
Along with regular equipment & consumable donations, from each sale of Purfect Disposable Drapes we make a monetary donation to OVAID.
•  10p donated from each pack/roll
•  50p donated from each box
OVAID Product Set Carousel
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What better way to introduce Orangutan Veterinary Aid (OVAID), than with words from the co-founders themselves. Let Nigel & Sara introduce who they are, what they do, and how you can get involved below...
"Luck gave me the opportunity to experience working with orangutan after 35 years as a mixed practice vet and I haven’t looked back with any regrets since. Our journey started by chance 13 years ago when a volunteer opportunity at an orangutan rescue centre in Sabah, in the northeastern tip of Borneo turned into the offer of a job for myself. Slightly daunted at the prospect of caring for more than 50 critically endangered orangutan and concerned that I had perhaps suddenly become a charlatan wildlife veterinarian, Sara and I, nevertheless launched ourselves wholeheartedly into our new, tropical career.
We worked together as vet and assistant in Malaysian Borneo in the orangutan rescue centre over a 5-year period from 2009 and we were often sent into Indonesian Borneo to work alongside orangutan rescue teams. It was obvious to us that there was a desperate need to help these vets on the frontline of orangutan conservation whose centres were not government-funded, unlike those in Malaysia and this planted the seed of what would become our charity, Orangutan Veterinary Aid (OVAID). In Indonesia, we found a situation where the rate of deforestation was continuing at breakneck speed and huge numbers of orangutan rescues were being undertaken resulting in over a thousand resident orangutans in the Indonesian rescue centres of Kalimantan and Sumatra. Compared to Sabah in Malaysia, this was a world apart and we knew that Indonesia was where we needed to focus our attention and resources.
We worked together as vet and assistant in Malaysian Borneo in the orangutan rescue centre over a 5-year period from 2009 and we were often sent into Indonesian Borneo to work alongside orangutan rescue teams. It was obvious to us that there was a desperate need to help these vets on the frontline of orangutan conservation whose centres were not government-funded, unlike those in Malaysia and this planted the seed of what would become our charity, Orangutan Veterinary Aid (OVAID). In Indonesia, we found a situation where the rate of deforestation was continuing at breakneck speed and huge numbers of orangutan rescues were being undertaken resulting in over a thousand resident orangutans in the Indonesian rescue centres of Kalimantan and Sumatra. Compared to Sabah in Malaysia, this was a world apart and we knew that Indonesia was where we needed to focus our attention and resources.
We saw a desperate need for veterinary equipment, medicines and supplies which OVAID has since continuously sought to fulfil, but also a need for practical veterinary assistance and so, in 2014 when leaving Sabah, the OVAID charity was born. Since 2014 we have spent over 2.5 years volunteering at orangutan rescue centres as part of the veterinary teams in Indonesian Borneo, at International Animal Rescue in Ketapang, BOS Foundation at Nyaru Menteng and Sumatra at Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Programme (SOCP) where I mentored SOCP’s new graduate vet for 6 months in 2016.
Our aim as a charity has always been to support the veterinary teams, on the frontline, we fulfil ongoing Veterinary Wish Lists at all the major orangutan rescue centres in Indonesia and to date have donated over £260,000 of veterinary supplies, including anything from lifesaving drip sets to £45,000 Digital X-Ray systems.
Our aim as a charity has always been to support the veterinary teams, on the frontline, we fulfil ongoing Veterinary Wish Lists at all the major orangutan rescue centres in Indonesia and to date have donated over £260,000 of veterinary supplies, including anything from lifesaving drip sets to £45,000 Digital X-Ray systems.
OVAID are a small, completely voluntary run charity with minimal overheads and we are sure that this has helped us grow and brought us donations from dedicated supporters who see that we can respond rapidly to urgent requests and deliver exactly what is needed by the rescue teams. Of course, we cannot do this alone or even with the help of individual supporters but luckily we have been able to develop positive associations with veterinary businesses. A chance meeting with Michelle and Jane of J.A.K Marketing at the London Vet Show back in 2015 sowed the seed of an amazing and generous relationship which has grown over the years and seen us able to support the orangutan rescue teams with equipment which would otherwise have been completely impossible. Not only are J.A.K relentless in their efforts to assist us, they have even ventured into the humid and sweaty tropical rainforest with us to see the very orangutan that they help!
With our extensive knowledge and experience from working within the vet teams, OVAID realised the importance of long-term maintenance of this supplied equipment and the need for continuous training and support. To this end, the charity now also concentrates on providing in situ training by vets and experts and funds a scholarship to bring Indonesian orangutan vets to the UK for an exchange of ideas and further education at centres of excellence including Liverpool University, Chester Zoo, Paignton Zoo and specialist veterinary practices. During the pandemic, the charity (together with BOSF Schweiz) also funded a three-month training programme at BOSF Samboja Lestari by an experienced wildlife/primate veterinarian. This programme facilitated the extensive training of the young vet team and resulted in more than 20 orangutans and 30 sun bear surgeries being carried out initially under supervision but ultimately by the resident vet team themselves.
The welfare of rescued and rehabilitant orangutan is our priority together with supporting the veterinary teams that care for them and we cannot thank James and the whole team at J.A.K Marketing enough for all that they do for us year in and year out."
Can you help us to help them?
Along with regular equipment & consumable donations, from each sale of Purfect Disposable Drapes we make a monetary donation to OVAID.
•  10p donated from each pack/roll
•  50p donated from each box
Along with regular equipment & consumable donations, from each sale of Purfect Disposable Drapes we make a monetary donation to OVAID.
•  10p donated from each pack/roll
•  50p donated from each box
OVAID Product Set Carousel