BEVA has announced that it is cutting membership renewal charges for the next three months in order to support all veterinary professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Memberships for all existing BEVA members will be extended until 30 June 2020. Veterinary professionals who are not members of BEVA will also be able to sign up for a free membership until 30 June 2020.

BEVA president Tim Mair said: "In this extraordinary time of global crisis our profession, as with many industries, is under immense pressure. By offering free membership we are giving equine vets easy access to a wealth of supportive resources and online CPD."

To sign up please visit the BEVA website.

Image (c) BEVA.

Nominations are now open for the inaugural Burgess Excel Vet Awards, which celebrate the work of hard-working rabbit friendly vets, nurses and practices across the UK.

Organised with the Rabbit Welfare Association & Fund, a panel of veterinary professionals and rabbit experts will crown a rabbit welfare champion from each of the following categories: UK Rabbit Vet of the Year; Rabbit Nurse of the Year and Rabbit Veterinary Practice of the Year.

The winners of each category will receive a cash prize of £500. To make a nomination, please visit burgesspetcare.com

In support of Cats Protection's Pawsome Afternoon Tea fundraiser, Masterchef winner Tim Anderson and Great British Bake Off star Kim-Joy have shared biscuit recipes to help keen bakers raise money for needy cats across April.

The celebrity chefs are both cat owners and have said that they hope this fundraiser will help to raise awareness of cats in need and the importance of adopting a cat, rather than buying one.

This is the fourth year Cats Protection has run its Pawsome Afternoon Tea campaign, which encourages people to hold tea parties, bake sales and fundraising events to help raise money for the charity.

To view the recipes and other fundraising resources please visit the Cats Protection website.

A giant anteater pup born at Edinburgh Zoo in November has been spotted for the first time riding on its mothers back.

It is expected to be a few months yet before the pup is large enough to move around independently. It will soon have its first health check and be weighed, sexed and named.

Edinburgh Zoo's head of carnivores Alison MacLean said, "Both mum and baby are spending a lot of time in their off-show area at the moment while the youngster grows.

"Giant anteaters are vulnerable to extinction in the wild, so every birth is a potential lifeline for the species."

The pup's mother, Nala, and father, Lucifer, arrived at the zoo in 2009. Since then they have produced two pups, a female born in 2010 and a male in October 2012. Both of which have moved on as part of the European breeding programme for giant anteaters.

Image (c) RZSS/Sian Addison

A new app has been launched by Hedgehog Street, a national campaign ran by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society (BHPS) and the People's Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), to help bolster declining hedgehog populations.

Users will receive monthly advice and FAQs and can record sightings of wild hedgehogs, helping conservationists to understand where populations need help.

Hedgehog officer for the campaign, Grace Johnson explains: "We know hedgehogs are in trouble - we've lost 50 per cent of hedgehogs in rural areas since 2000, which is a staggering amount. But, there are ways that we can all help. Our monthly top tips [range] from leaving a shallow bowl of water out for thirsty 'hogs in the summer, to providing nesting materials and supplementary food before hedgehogs hunker-down for hibernation."

The 'Hedgehog Street' app is available on both the Apple App Store and Google Play. It launches ahead of National Hedgehog Day, celebrated on Sunday 2 February 2020.

In a recent statement, the British Hen Welfare Trust (BHWT) discussed its concerns over the future of the British egg industry following Brexit.

The primary concern expressed in the statement is that if tariffs are removed - which the government has suggested will happen in the event of a no-deal Brexit - then a flood of cheaper eggs produced to lower standards will hit the UK market, as producers from countries where battery farming is legal will be able to undercut UK farmers.

BHWT, the NFU and the British Free Range Egg Producers Association (BFREPA) have confirmed that they will continue to urge the government to preserve this important industry, through upholding animal welfare standards and protecting free range egg farmers.