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Prison adopts 200 hens destined for slaughter
Wayne Walters, a livestock and project management instructional officer, launched Project Jail Bird to help the men cope with life in prison.

British Hen Welfare Trust delivers hens for Project Jail Bird

A prison in Dorset has adopted 200 hens that would otherwise have been sent to slaughter, as part of a new initiative to help prisoners.

HMP Guys Marsh is a Category C prison that holds up to 450 men, some of whom have committed serious crimes.

Wayne Walters, a livestock and project management instructional officer, launched Project Jail Bird to help the men cope with life in prison, as well as aiding their rehabilitation and release.

With the help of Prisoner J (who cannot be named for legal reasons), Wayne transformed an unused area of the prison into a haven for the hens. It is complete with handmade flower boxes crafted by the prisoners, which sit on the outside of a newly erected coop.

The hens had previously been living on a commercial farm laying eggs to be sold in supermarkets, or to be put into processed foods. At 18 months, they had reached the end of their commercial life and would have faced slaughter had they not been rescued by the British Hen Welfare Trust.

Jane Howorth, MBE and founder of the trust, personally delivered the birds to Guys Marsh with the charity’s head of operations, Gaynor Davies.

She said: “What really struck me was the effort that both Wayne and Prisoner J had put into Project Jail Bird. They have created a fantastic facility for hens out of wasted space, and in so doing given the prisoners at Guys Marsh the opportunity to learn new skills, and of course given the hens a wonderful second chance in life.  

“The charity has supplied hens to almost a dozen prisons across the UK and I wholeheartedly support Wayne’s initiative seeing only benefit in rolling out the model across all UK prisons.”

Image (c) British Hen Welfare Trust
 

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.