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Birthday party provides enrichment

Zoo's cheetah cubs tear into meaty presents

A birthday party has been thrown at Whipsnade Zoo, part of the London Zoological Society (ZSL), on behalf of its resident cheetah cubs.

Celebrating their first birthday, the six cubs were given wrapped presents full of meaty treats that they tore into, along with a cardboard birthday cake.

The birthday party was part of the zoo's enrichment programme for each of its animals, which encourages them to build a curious, playful nature and actively hunt for their food as they would in the wild.

Rosie Scott, a zookeeper at Whipsnade, said: "It's not often we get to celebrate six birthdays in one day, so we wanted to do something special for the cubs.

"They love investigating new things and had great fun working out how to reach the food inside their presents."

The six Northeastern African cheetah cubs were the second litter for mother Dubai and the second to ever be born in the UK.

Image courtesy of ZSL

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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

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News Shorts
BBC Radio 4 documentary addresses corporate fees

BBC Radio 4's File on 4 Investigates has released a documentary exploring how corporate-owned veterinary practices may be inflating bills to increase profit.

Released on 15 April, 'What's Happening To Your Vet Bills?' revealed the policies which many corporate groups have in place to increase their profits. This included targets and upgrades which veterinary teams are tasked with meeting on a regular basis.

It also features Anrich Vets, an independently-owned practice based in Wigan. Following the case of Staffordshire terrier Benjy, who is diagnosed with a tumour, the documentary shares how the team were able to offer contextualised care and advice to make the procedure as affordable as possible for his owners.

The documentary can be heard on demand on BBC iPlayer.