Fourteen projects to combat the trade in illegal wildlife have have received 4.5 million in government funding.

The Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund projects aim to prevent wildlife being trafficked or illegally traded through measures including demand reduction, strengthening enforcement and criminal justice, and providing alternative livelihoods.

They include a 'payback' scheme for the perpetrators of illegal wildlife trade and the development of best practice guidelines for the storage of illegal ivory.

International Cat Care (iCatCare) has announced the winners of its 2018 photography competition. This year the competition was looking for images of gorgeous newborns and curious kittens - and the judges were not disappointed!

Lindsey Chadwick from the UK was crowned overall winner for her adorable image of kitten siblings Mocha and Cuppuccino. Lindsey's image will grace the cover of iCatCare's 2019 calendar, which will be sold to raise funds for the charity.

To view all of the winning images and to find out more about the stories behind them, visit: http://www.icatcare.org/photography-competition/2018

A series of educational videos aimed at helping riders, owners, trainers and vets recognise pain and lameness in horses have been produced by Equitopia in collaboration with the Animal Health Trust.

Recognising Subtle Lameness is a four-part video series presented by AHT equine orthopaedic specialist Sue Dyson. Each episode gives the viewer clear, practical guidance on how to identify pain and brings to life key findings from Dr Dyson's studies.

The videos have already clocked up almost 100,000 views and can be found at https://youtu.be/0lPvyxzSER0 https://youtu.be/VDvzKV8H4XQ https://youtu.be/QUzvYluYsSo. Video four will be released later this month.

Europe's biggest equine veterinary conference, BEVA Congress, has announced that it will be providing a crche at its 2018 event to help out working mums and dads.

BEVA president Jon Pycock said: "A significant number of BEVA members have young children and we want to make it as easy as possible for them to enjoy Congress without having to worry about making separate plans for childcare at home."

BEVA Congress 2018 will take place at the ICC in central Birmingham from 12-15 September. For more information about the crche and to reserve your child's place, email Jocelyn@beva.org.uk or call (0) 1638 723 558.

London Zoo has unveiled a new art installation made from 15,000 discarded single-use plastic bottles, all of which were collected from London and its waterways. The installation, dubbed the Space of Waste, is 16ft tall and was created by the artist and architect Nick Wood. It houses information about plastic pollution and the small steps that everyone can take to tackle the issue.

Mr Wood commented: "Building this piece with ZSL was a satisfying challenge, as plastic bottles are not usually seen as a building material - recycling them into this structure, which will remain at ZSL London Zoo all summer, was a great way to turn the culprits themselves into a stark visual reminder of the worsening plastic problem in our city." Image David Parry/PAWIRE/ZSL

A new free app will support vital work in clinics caring for stray dogs around the world, experts say. Created by the University of Edinburgh, the tool allows vets to track the wellbeing of dogs going through catch-neuter-return schemes, which are common in countries with large numbers of strays.

Vets say the welfare of individual dogs can be overlooked during the process of capture, transport or surgery. The app, piloted across Asia and Africa, helps staff to monitor welfare, spot signs of distress and develop strategies to improve care. It was launched at BSAVA Congress on Friday 6 April.