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Edinburgh Zoo suspends panda breeding
Giant pandas Tian Tian and Yang Guang arrived in Edinburgh in 2011, having travelled from Chengdu in China.

Pause will allow experts to assess the breeding process 

Edinburgh Zoo has said it will not breed its giant pandas this year after five failed attempts to produce a cub.

The zoo said it will use the pause in its breeding programme to ‘further assess the incredibly complex and unpredictable breeding process’.

The time will also allow enhancements to be made to the panda enclosure, which would not have been possible during or between breeding seasons.

Together with key specialists, the giant panda team will consider the scientific data, their own experiences and those of international colleagues, in addition to the latest thinking on panda accommodation.

Giant pandas Tian Tian and Yang Guang arrived in Edinburgh in 2011, having travelled from Chengdu in China. They are the UK’s only giant pandas.

Tian Tian had previously given birth to twins in China but attempts to breed her in Edinburgh have failed thus far, despite hopeful signs on several occasions.

In a statement, the zoo said: ‘We very much hope Tian Tian has a cub in the future and will be thrilled if this happens.

‘Even without breeding success as yet, RZSS is playing a crucial role in safeguarding this magnificent species by helping fund conservation projects in China alongside international partners. These projects are critical, with fewer than two thousand giant pandas in the wild.’

Image © Edinburgh Zoo

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RCVS Knowledge appoints Veterinary Evidence editor-in-chief

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has welcomed Professor Peter Cockcroft as editor-in-chief for Veterinary Evidence.

A world-renowned expert in evidence-based veterinary medicine, Prof Cockcroft will lead the strategic development and editorial quality of the open-access journal. He was previously in the role from 2017-2020.

Katie Mantell, CEO of RCVS Knowledge, said: "We are excited about the extensive knowledge of evidence-based veterinary medicine and clinical veterinary research that Peter brings, and we look forward to working with him over this next phase of the journal's development." 

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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.