In November OVAID again hosted a successful Tour of Borneo taking a group of 10 guests on an 'off the beaten track' adventure to Central and West Kalimantan.

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The guests had all contributed significantly to OVAID's fundraising campaign to purchase a complete digital X-ray system and generator for International Animal Rescue's orangutan rescue and rehabilitation centre in Ketapang, West Kalimantan.

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After treking in The Sabangau National Park the group visited the BOSF centre at Nyaru Menteng and  were privileged to be able to enter the centre to present the vet team with much needed supplies of equipment and medicines before seeing the young orangutan return from forest school.

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A river cruise on an authentic river boat along the Rungan river enabled the group to see first hand the pre-release orangutan islands before journeying west to Ketapang.

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An arduous trek into the Gunung Palung National Park and an overnight camp in the jungle enabled the group to explore the forest and observe various wildlife before returning to Ketapang.

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At Ketapang a highlight of the trip was to visit the IAR centre run by Dr Karmele Llano Sanchez and her team and to present them with a new battery powered x-ray generator together with a state of the art Agfa digital x-ray system to enable the veterinary team to take instant and detailed x-ray images of the orangutan. With the machine being portable it will also be used as part of the centre's outreach programme to provide health screening for villagers close to the remote release site and thus ensure the health and welfare of released orangutan. In addition to the x-ray donations of equipment and much needed medicines for the orangutan were also provided.

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As part of the OVAID programme a dedicated team including a radiographer and sonographer remained on site for a further week to provide training in both radiography and ultrasound techniques for the vet team on site. OVAID will also continue to provide full back up and maintenance for the equipment over the coming years.