Your data on MRCVSonline
The nature of the services provided by Vision Media means that we might obtain certain information about you.
Please read our Data Protection and Privacy Policy for details.

In addition, (with your consent) some parts of our website may store a 'cookie' in your browser for the purposes of
functionality or performance monitoring.
Click here to manage your settings.
If you would like to forward this story on to a friend, simply fill in the form below and click send.

Your friend's email:
Your email:
Your name:
 
 
Send Cancel

Dead whale consumed 40kg of plastic waste
The Philippines is the third biggest contributor to plastic waste in the ocean.
Conservationists call for government action against ocean polluters

Researchers in the Philipines investigating the death of a whale found 40 kilograms of plastic waste in its stomach.

On Saturday (16 March), scientists from the D’Bone Collector Museum reported that a whale had washed up on the coast of Mabini, Compostela Valley. The team recovered the dead animal - a Cuvier’s beaked whale - and found that it contained dozens of plastic items, including 16 rice sacks, four banana plantation bags and numerous shopping bags.

Writing on its Facebook page, the museum said: ‘This whale had the most plastic we’ve ever seen in a whale. It’s disgusting. Action must be taken by the government against those who continue to treat the waterways and ocean as dumpsters’.

A 2015 report by the Ocean Conservancy charity found that the Philippines is the third biggest contributor to plastic waste in the ocean. The country generates 2.7 million metric tons of plastic waste and half-a-million metric tons of plastic waste per year.

This is not the first whale to have been found dead after swallowing numerous amounts of plastic. In June 2018, BBC News reported that a whale had died off the coast of Thailand after ingesting 80 plastic bags.

Become a member or log in to add this story to your CPD history

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.