A registered vet nurse (RVN) from Ashby has braved snakes, tarantulas and 40-degree heat to help wildlife in the Amazon rainforest.

Ben Witcomb works at Linnaeus-owned Woodward Veterinary Practice, part of the Ivanhoe Business Park, but swapped pets for wild animals when he volunteered at the Amazon Shelter in Peru.

With and his partner and fellow RVN Dan Roden, Ben spent two weeks helping keepers rehabilitate and care for around 80 injured animals, from sloths to parrots, which are later released back into the wild.

Ben said: "The rainforest was a totally different world – the sounds were amazing and the heat was intense, with many days being over 40 degrees. It was hard work and not for the faint-hearted, but totally rewarding.

"We had such an amazing time and would carry out everything from preparing food and cleaning enclosures to cleaning wounds and emergency treatments.

"We helped with a few cases including a nest of Amazon Oropendola birds found on the road. The birds were only a few days old and maggots had burrowed beneath the skin which we had to remove.

"There was also a sad case with a sloth, whose mother had been electrocuted and died, and the baby had also received a shock.

"A career highlight for both of us was monitoring an anaesthetic for a howler monkey. He had previously been rehabilitated and released by the shelter but had been attacked by another monkey in the wild, leaving him with an injured tail.

"It was really exciting monitoring the anaesthetic and was a change from monitoring cats and dogs! He recovered really well and was soon eating his fruits and vegetables once he had woken up.

"We also helped build an outdoor enclosure for spider monkeys and train vet students from Peru at the shelter how to use some of the equipment. It was great we could pass on our knowledge to help improve the services they provide to the animals."

The couple's encounters with the local wildlife did not stop when they left the clinic.

Ben added: "We would very often have creatures joining us in our accommodation, including praying mantis' in our beds and frogs jumping out the toilet. We had pink toed tarantulas in the kitchen, along with tamarind monkeys in the dining room!"

And after seeing the hard work carried out at the clinic, the pair have decided to continue fund-raising towards its on-site vet practice, which is currently being built.

Ben said: "Due to illegal logging, mining and deforestation many animals in the rainforest are captured, mistreated or sold into the pet trade.

"It's a terrific cause and over the past 14 years the shelter team have successfully rehabilitated and released hundreds of animals.

"The shelter is in constant need of funds to help continue its amazing work, as well as funding the completion of their veterinary practice, so our fundraising page is open for another year and any donations will be sent over to continue to help them."

Anyone wishing to donate can do so via the pair's JustGiving page HERE.

For more information about Woodward Veterinary Practice, visit www.woodward-vets.co.uk.