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Mystery surrounding starling deaths in Anglesey
Some 300 dead starlings were found close to Llyn Llywenan, Bodedern, on Tuesday afternoon.
APHA carrying out tests to determine the most likely cause 

Hundreds of starlings have been found dead on an unclassified road in Anglesey, Wales.

According to the North Wales Rural Crime Team, approximately 300 starlings were found close to Llyn Llywenan, Bodedern, on Tuesday (10 Dec) afternoon. Most of the birds were found dead on the road, with many others in the hedges, but none in the surrounding fields.

Officers from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) seized some of the starlings for toxicology tests and a postmortem to learn how they died. However, police say they have been left baffled by the incident.

Rob Taylor, team manager for North Wales Police's Rural Crime Team, said: "I have to say at this present time it is an absolute and complete mystery to us. We've done all of the necessary checks and spoken to witnesses and we're trying to get to the bottom of it, however, we are still scratching our heads in regards to it.

"There's a few people who have come forward telling different stories in regards to it and we're just trying to tie up those pieces now to get the accurate facts. We've also sent some of the birds off for a toxicology and postmortem so I'm hoping we can get a result on that pretty soon but I would be very surprised if 300 died in one area without any of them being in the surrounding fields.”

Anyone with information about the incident, which is believed to have occurred at around 3.40 pm on Tuesday, is urged to contact the police.

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Cold-water dip to raise funds for Vetlife

News Story 1
 The veterinary mental health charity Vetlife is inviting the veterinary community to join it for a sponsored cold-water dip.

The event will take place at Walpole Bay, Margate, on 17 May during Mental Health Awareness Week. Participants of all abilities can join in the challenge and are advised to bring a towel, a hot drink, a snack, and warm clothes to get changed into afterwards.

Those taking part are being asked to try to raise 100 each to support the work of the charity.

Details about how to take part can be found here

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Bluetongue low vector period ends

In an update to its bluetongue guidance, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced that the seasonal low vector period for the disease has ended.

With winter over, Defra is planning for a possible increase in cases as midges become more active. It has warned that farms along the east coast of England from Norfolk to Kent, and along the south coast from Kent to Devon, are at highest risk from infected midges blown over from northern Europe.

Since the virus was detected in England in November 2023, there have been 126 confirmed cases. The most recent case to be confirmed was on 1 March 2024.

Farmers are asked to continue to frequently monitor their livestock and ensure their animals and land are registered with the Animal and Plant Health Agency.