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EmailIphone Application    Posted: 9th August 2017
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Pine marten spotted in Yorkshire
Pine martens are the UK’s second rarest carnivorous mammal.
First confirmed sighting in 25 years

A live pine marten has been spotted on camera in Yorkshire for the first time in over three decades.

There have been no confirmed sightings since 1993, when the skull of a pine marten was found in the county. The last record of a living pine marten, however, was around 35 years ago.

The Yorkshire Pine Marten Project is run by non-profit enterprise NatureSpy and the Forestry Commission. It was launched four years ago to prove pine martens are present in Yorkshire.

Camera traps are placed in various locations on the North Yorkshire Moors to monitor particular areas 24/7, for months at a time.

Pine martens are the UK’s second rarest carnivorous mammal. Proving they are present in Yorkshire was described as a “massive achievement” for the team involved, by NatureSpy’s project co-ordinator Ed Snell.

There have been a number of unconfirmed sightings of the creatures over the years and recent scat DNA tests confirmed their presence in Northumberland. However, previous searches by other organisations proved inconclusive.

Cath Bashforth, an ecologist at the Forestry Commission, added: “It is great to have a confirmed sighting of pine marten on Forestry Commission land. Supporting on this project has been exciting and to discover they are living within our forests after so many years is fantastic! We are looking forward to progressing the project further.”

Going forward, the project will take a more scientific approach, collecting DNA samples, estimating population numbers, investigating habitat preferences and producing habitat management proposals. A second fundraising initiative is underway to raise money for resources for the next phase of the project.

Image © NatureSpy/Youtube

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Rabbit Awareness Week set to return this summer

News Story 1
 Rabbit Awareness Week (RAW) is returning this summer, running from 24-28 June 2024. The theme for this year will be 'Healthy Diet, Happy Bunnies'.

The focus on rabbits' diet comes after the most recent PDSA Animal Wellbeing (PAW) Report report revealed that 42 per cent of veterinary professionals identified inappropriate diet as one of the five most important rabbit welfare issues that need to be address.

The campaign will include veterinary blogs, videos, and digital waiting room resources. Practices can sign up to receive updates about RAW. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
CVS Group hit by cyber attack

CVS Group, which owns more than 450 veterinary practices in the UK, has been hit by a cyber attack.

In a statement, the group said the incident involved unauthorised external access to a limited number of its IT systems. As soon as the attack was discovered, the group took its IT systems temporarily offline, causing 'considerable operational disruption'.

It has warned that the security steps taken and ongoing plans to move its operational systems and IT infrastructure to the Cloud are likely to have an ongoing impact over a number of weeks.

Due to the risk that personal information was accessed, CVS has informed the Information Commissioner's Office. The company is working with third party consultants to investigate the incident.