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PETA launches campaign against apes in show business
Use of chimpanzee in upcoming film sparks online petition

UK charity PETA has launched an online advertising campaign following the use of a chimpanzee in the upcoming movie The Wolf on Wall Street, which features actor Leonardo DiCaprio.

Alongside primatologist Jane Goodall, PETA US have urged DiCaprio not to work with great apes in the future due to the poor treatment they say the animals receive in show business.

The US adverts include a graphic video about the lives of primate "actors", which the charity says is aimed at informing DiCaprio and cinema-goers that chimpanzee actors are taken from their mothers at an early age and suffer abuse.

According to PETA, an online petition asking fans to urge DiCaprio not to work with great apes again has so far received 35,000 signatures.

PETA UK's Mimi Bekhechi said: "We hope the next time Leo receives a script with an ape 'actor' in it, he'll remember that these sensitive animals are stolen from their mothers at birth and subjected to physical abuse – and he'll demand a rewrite."

Actress Anjelica Hudson has narrated a video for PETA US on the suffering of great apes in the entertainment business.

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BSAVA partners with BVA Live 2026

News Story 1
 BSAVA is to partner with BVA Live (11-12 June 2026) to champion clinical research.

The organisation will be supporting BVA Live's Clinical Abstracts programme, showcasing selected abstracts of veterinary research throughout the event.

The clinical abstracts can be on any small animal veterinary subject, and must be based on research undertaken in industry, practice or academia. Abstracts can be presented in poster or oral formats.

Submissions will open on 15th December 2025, and close on 6th March 2026. You can register interest here. 

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Nominations open for RCVS and VN Council elections

The nomination period for the 2026 RCVS Council and VN Council elections is now open, with three veterinary surgeon seats and two veterinary nurse seats available.

Prospective candidates can download an information pack and nomination form from the RCVS website. Individuals can nominate themselves for the elections, with the results to be announced in the spring.

Clare Paget, the recently appointed RCVS Registrar and elections returning officer, said: "If you want to play your part in influencing and moulding how the professions are regulated, and making key decisions on matters of great importance to your peers, the public and animal health and welfare, please consider standing for RCVS Council or VN Council next year."

Nominations close at 5pm on Saturday, 31 January 2026.