Twycross Zoo has welcomed veterinary and conservation specialist Dr Matt Hartley as its new director of life sciences. Dr Hartley will oversee the zoo's animal, veterinary, research and conservation work. In his first few months, a key responsibility will be managing the opening of the state-of-the-art new chimpanzee habitat, which is set to open early in 2018.

Image (c) Twycross Zoo

Animal lovers across the UK are wearing whiskers for a day, to help raise money for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home. 'Wear Your Whiskers', held on 27 October, is the charity's new fundraising initiative, which has seen people drawing on whiskers - and perhaps adding a nose or a pair of ears to complete their 'look'. Participants are asked to donate 2 to take part (or 1 if at school) to help Battersea care for unwanted dogs and cats. For a fundraising pack, visit battersea.org.uk/whiskers

Veterinary professionals are being urged to take part in the #vets4vultures online fundraising campaign. Vultures are persecuted throughout the world and numbers of some species have fallen by 99.9 per cent in recent years. Wildlife Vets International rescue and rehabilitate the birds of prey, as well as training local vets. However, the charity needs to raise 18,000 for its conservation plans to go ahead next year.

It has been selected for The Big Christmas Give Challenge, which goes live on 28 November. To help practices encourage clients to get involved, there is an online promotional pack containing resources for websites and social media platforms.

For more information emailinfo@wildlifevetsinternational

Italian fashion house Gucci has announced that it will no longer use animal fur in its designs. Gucci's president & CEO Marco Bizzarri made the announcement on Wednesday (October 11) at The London College of Fashion.

The move follows a long-standing relationship with The Humane Society of the United States and LAV - members of the international Fur Free alliance. Gucci's fur-free policy includes mink, coyote, raccoon dog, fox, rabbit, karakul and all other species bred or caught for fur.

ZSL London Zoo has received a grant of more than 4.5m from the Heritage Lottery Fund to restore its iconic aviary. The money will help transform the grade II listed building into a state-of-the-art walk-through primate enclosure.

The Zoo has now launched a campaign to raise the 2.3 million needed to complete the exciting renovation. Its plans include creating an important habitat for colobus monkeys, as well as an educational hub for the millions of people who visit the zoo.

Image (c) Daniel Sprawson

Black greyhounds take twice as long to re-home than any other dog, according to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home. Figures show that black greyhounds wait around 55 days to find a family, while the average Battersea dog takes 35 days.

The charity believes black dogs are less appealing to people because they are harder to photograph. It also says that many people who want to re-home a dog have misconceptions about the breed.