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Zoo ‘devastated’ over lynx killing
Lillith escaped from her enclosure in October (Stock photo).

Lillith shot by marksmen on council orders

A lynx that escaped from a zoo in west Wales has been shot and killed on the orders of council officials.

Confirming the news on its website, Borth Wild Animal Kingdom said that it was ‘truly devastated’ and will remain closed until further notice.

Lillith escaped from her enclosure in October, reportedly by climbing some slender tree branches and making a leap for the perimeter fence.

Since her disappearance, zookeepers, expert trackers and animal recovery specialists have been working tirelessly to lure her into a bait trap. A government-appointed vet had told the zoo that darting was not possible due to the terrain.

On Friday (10 November), their search came to an abrupt end when the zoo received a call from Ceredigion County Council to say that Lillith had been found and killed. The call came just one day after she had been spotted at a local caravan park.

‘We made one final effort yesterday to lay traps for her and we were out all day looking for her with catch nets, but the shocking call came in late last night that they had killed her,’ the zoo explained. ‘In just 24 hours they had called in marksmen who had used state-of-the-art night scopes and thermal imaging cameras to hunt her down and shoot her dead. To say we were devastated was an understatement.’

The zoo claims that when they arrived at the caravan park, a council official ‘insisted’ that he needed to photograph her and make a positive ID before they were allowed to trap her. Unfortunately, the official slipped whilst climbing up the bank, startling the lynx and causing her to run away.

The zoo continued to search for Lillith but was informed that, due to her being in a heavily populated area, that the council would be issuing a shoot to kill order.

In a statement, Ceredigion County Council said that it was not possible to assess the condition or temperament of the lynx. It added that there were concerns about its behavioural response if startled by a member of the public.

'It must be remembered that the lynx is classified in legislation as "dangerous and wild" and the authorities were dealing with an unmanaged escape situation,' it said.

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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.