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Born Free Foundation releases Innocent Prisoner
Virginia McKenna, BFF founder, with Twiggy at Belgrade Zoo, Serbia in 2013

Report highlighting ongoing issue of elephants being kept in solitude

The Born Free Foundation (BFF) has released a report, “Innocent Prisoner”, revealing the ongoing suffering of solitary elephants kept in captivity in European zoos and circuses.

The report marks the 30th anniversary of the death of the last African elephant at London Zoo, a tragedy that led to the founding of Born Free, which was originally known as Zoo Check.

Teenage African elephant, Pole Pole, died after being kept in solitude for 15 years at London Zoo, having been captured from the wild in Kenya, aged two.

Original founder, Virginia McKenna OBE, is still actively involved in the work of the Foundation, and recently visited Twiggy, an elephant being kept in solitude at Belgrade Zoo in Serbia.

Ms McKenna commented: “I honestly thought that the days of keeping intelligent, social, family oriented species like elephants in solitary confinement were long gone. That no more elephants would suffer what Pole Pole had to endure. How wrong I was. It was heart-breaking, reaching out to Twiggy as I had done to Pole Pole all those years ago and realising that for her, the nightmare was still a reality.”

Will Travers OBE, CEO of the Born Free Foundation has said that they hope to see the phasing out of elephants being kept in captivity in Europe over the next 30 years, and more specifically, that the keeping of elephants alone cannot happen again.

Chris Draper, Born Free’s senior programmes manager for captive wild animals/science added: “With the best will in the world, zoos and circuses cannot replicate the social and physical environment that elephants have evolved to live in.”

Born Free is calling for the establishment of the first genuine elephant sanctuary in Europe that would house all the elephants currently being kept alone. Key criteria would include opportunities for social contact with other elephants and campaigning for an end to imports of elephants from the wild.

To read the Innocent Prisoner report, visit the Born Free website.

Image courtesy of Born Free Foundation

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
RCVS pays tribute to well-loved equine vet

The RCVS and the Riding Establishments Subcommittee has paid tribute to well-loved veterinary surgeon and riding establishment inspector, Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS.

Linda Belton MRCVS, RCVS President, said: "I, along with my colleagues on the RESC, RCVS Council, RCVS Standards Committee, as well as RCVS staff, was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Rebecca, or Becca as we knew her, last week.

"She was a true advocate for equine welfare and in her many years on the RESC worked to continually improve the quality and consistency of riding establishment inspections, all in the interests of enhanced horse welfare and rider safety."