Animal Energy World Conference 2022

We are delighted that Nigel Hicks BVSc. MRCVS and Sara Fell Hicks BA (Hons) are joining us as Guest Speakers for 'OVAID', the conference's chosen charity for 2022. Nigel and Sara are Co-founders of  Orangutan Veterinary Aid and will be joining us either from the jungle or Cornwall!. With a lifelong passion for orangutan, Nigel Hicks , and his wife Sara Fell Hicks , from Launceston, Cornwall began working with orangutans in Borneo in 2009, after Nigel, a large animal vet for 35 years, sold his veterinary practice. Sara, a lay veterinary nurse and glass artist has worked alongside Nigel for 20 years, the couple have since spent several months every year volunteering at a variety of orangutan rescue and rehabilitation facilities in both Indonesian and Malaysian Borneo as well as Sumatra. The work involves a mix of veterinary treatment, general care and welfare for orphaned and sick orangutans which are brought to the centres, often suffering severe trauma and injuries from human/orangutan conflict, forest fires and the illegal pet trade, plus losing their habitat through deforestation. After seeing the difficulties the rescue centres and teams had in sourcing vital veterinary equipment and medicines locally, Nigel and Sara began taking out supplies in their luggage, but with the need ever greater, in 2014 they set up their own charity, OVAID (Orangutan Veterinary Aid). Since 2014 the charity has donated more than £250,000 of medicines and equipment including anaesthetic equipment, patient critical care monitoring and digital x-ray systems. The charity is a member of the Orangutan Veterinary Advisory Group and runs an annual scholarship bringing Indonesian orangutan vets to the UK for specialist training. You can read more about OVAID here.