News

A registered vet nurse (RVN) from Leicestershire is heading to the Amazon Rainforest to help treat and rehabilitate injured wildlife. 

Caring Ben Witcomb works at Linnaeus-owned Woodward Veterinary Practice in Ashby de la Zouch and will cross the Atlantic in October to volunteer at the Amazon Shelter in Peru. 

In the build-up to the trip of a lifetime, Ben, and his partner and fellow RVNs Dan Roden, will also be embarking on a series of fundraising events to raise money for the trip. 

Ben explained: “We are both registered veterinary nurses and will be volunteering at the Amazon Shelter to treat and rehabilitate injured wildlife and return them back to the rainforest. 

“Due to illegal logging, mining and deforestation many animals in the Rain Forest are captured, mistreated or sold into the pet trade. 

“There are more than 500 animals at the sanctuary including macaws, tapirs, sloths and monkeys with everyone at the centre working to give them a second chance of a life in the wild. 

“It’s a terrific cause and over the past 14 years the shelter team have successfully rehabilitated and released hundreds of animals back into the forest and each year they strive to be even more successful.” 

The pair are not just giving up holiday time to volunteer in Peru, they’re also giving up their spare time to help raise money to fund the trip. 

Ben added: "We are carrying out different fundraising events, such as cycling 170 miles along the “Way of the Roses” in April. 

“It’s quite a challenge as we’ll be biking from the west coast of England to the east, starting at Morecambe in Lancashire and finishing in Bridlington, Yorkshire. 

“The route will take us along stunning river valleys, high into the Yorkshire Dales, through towns steeped in history dating back to the Neolithic era and across ancient Viking battlefields. 

“It will be tough but it should also be an amazing experience and all in a good cause. 

“I’m quite a keen gardener, so will also be selling my homegrown flower bouquets and doing plenty of baking to raise even more cash. 

“Every penny raised will go towards the Amazon Shelter trip and we have set up a JustGiving page for anyone who would like to donate.” 

Anyone wishing to donate can do so via the pair’s JustGiving page https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/RescueTheAmazon?utm_medium=email&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_campaign=20240116_.