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Single piece of plastic ‘can be fatal for sea turtles’
A healthy green sea turtle is cleaned by a cleaner wrasse after enjoying a meal of jellyfish off of North Stradbroke Island.

Study quantifies the impact of plastic pollution

Eating just one piece of plastic can be fatal for sea turtles, new research by CSIRO has found.

Scientists analysed nearly 1,000 turtles that were found dead and washed up on beaches around Australia.

Their findings show turtles had a 22 per cent chance of death if they had eaten a single piece of plastic. Once there were 14 pieces in the gut, the likelihood increased to 50 per cent.

This is the first time scientists have quantified the risk that plastic pollution poses to sea turtle populations.

Principal scientist Dr Chris Wilcox said: “We knew that turtles were consuming a lot of plastic, but we didn't know for certain whether that plastic actually caused the turtles' deaths, or whether the turtles just happened to have plastic in them when they died.”



"In other words, we wanted to know 'How much plastic is too much plastic?' for sea turtles."

Globally, it is estimated that 52 per cent of sea turtles have ingested plastic. The species was among the first to be recorded eating plastic debris, a phenomenon that occurs in all seven marine turtle species.

Dr Wilcox said: "The model we've developed can be adapted to help us understand the impact of plastic ingestion not just on individuals, but whole populations of other endangered marine species as well.

"

The better we understand the issue, the better equipped we are to address the problem, and work towards viable, scalable solutions."

Image © Kathy Townsend, University of Sunshine Coast

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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. 

Click here for more...
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.