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Three bear cubs undergo rehabilitation in Romania
Bear cubs
The bear cubs will be returned to the wild in Serbia after two years.
FOUR PAWS supports transfer of orphaned bear cubs

International animal charity FOUR PAWS has supported the transfer of three orphaned Serbian bear cubs to the Bear Orphan Station Harghita in Romania.
 
The five-month-old trio, Tara, History and Sleepy, were discovered by the police in May, near the Montenegro border.
 
It is thought that their mother had been killed by poachers or chased away, and the orphaned cubs were small and skinny, the smallest weighing no more than 2.8kg.
 
FOUR PAWS were called on to transfer the bears to Romania, as there is currently no special establishment for the rehabilitation of bear orphans in Serbia.
 
The cubs were accommodated transitionally at the Zoo Palic in Serbia, which according to FOUR PAWS has good quality standards compared to other Serbian animal parks. However, this zoo would not have been a suitable long term solution. 
 
Carsten Hertwig, bear expert at FOUR PAWS explains:  "The continuous contact with the visitors of [Zoo Palic] would destroy their chances of being released into the wild one day. Therefore we aimed to bring them to the Bear Orphan Station as soon as possible.” 
 
The cubs were flown directly to the Bear Orphan Station in Harghita, Romania, from Arad airport. The station is in an isolated location, which will allow minimal exposure of the bears to humans.
 
Twenty-six bears are currently in rehabilitation at the station, waiting to be released back to the wild. Tara, History and Sleepy are recovering well in the company of others.
 
The cubs remain in the possession of the Serbian State, and after about two years of rehabilitation they will be returned and released back into the wild. They will each be fitted with a transmitter, allowing their progress to be monitored further.
 
Hertwig is very happy about this humane solution for the trio. “Now the bears can be prepared optimally for their later life in the wild. We are confident that they will develop well and really be able to be released to the outdoors.”
 
Image courtesy of FOUR PAWS.
 

 

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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."