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Farmer forced to cull aggressive cows
heck cows
Heck cows are the result of an attempt to bring back the extinct Auroch.

Herd of "super cows" in Devon are descended from those bred in Nazi Germany

A farmer has been forced to cull part of his herd of Heck cattle, which are descended from cows bred for aggression in Nazi Germany.

Derek Gow imported 13 Heck cows from Holland and Belgium back in 2008. It was the first time they had ever been imported into Britain.

Mr Gow has had to cut his herd down to six cows due to their aggressive and dangerous nature.

He told The Guardian: "The ones we had to get rid of would just attack you any chance they could. They would try to kill anyone. Dealing with that was not a lot of fun at all.

"I have worked with a range of different animals from bison to deer and I have never come across anything like these. They are by far and away the most aggressive animals I have ever worked with.

"Some were perfectly calm and quiet and they are the ones we have kept. The others you could not go near."

Heck cows are the result of an attempt to bring back the extinct Auroch, which is often confused with the European bison.

Two German zoo directors, Heinz and Lutz Heck, tried to revive the species in the 1920s, an attempt that was supported by Hermann Goering, head of Hitler's Luftwaffe. Within a few generations, the pair managed to breed calves that had a similar appearance and ferocity to the Auroch.

While most Heck cows were destroyed after the Second World War, some survived.

Image courtesy of Derek Gow.

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Antibiotic Amnesty survey opens

News Story 1
 The Responsible Use of Medicines Alliance - Companion Animal and Equine (RUMA - CA&E) has launched a survey which seeks to measure the success of this year's Antibiotic Amnesty campaign.

Its results will help the group to calculate how many unused or out-of-date antibiotics were returned as part of the campaign throughout November. Practices are also asked how they engaged with clients to raise awareness of the issue.

Participating practices can enter a prize draw to win up to 100 in vouchers for taking part. Further prizes from BSAVA and Webinar Vet will be available for practices with the best input.

The survey takes a few minutes to complete and will be running throughout December. It can be accessed via this link

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Bluetongue cases lead to restricted zone extension

Following the detection of new cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3), the restricted zone has been extended to include additional parts of Hampshire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire and North Yorkshire, as well as Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole and part of Dorset.

The zone now covers 28 counties and unitary authorities in England. As of 16 December, 185 cases of BTV-3 have been confirmed in England and Wales during the current vector period.

Bluetongue is a notifiable disease. Suspected cases must be reported on 03000 200 301 in England or 03003 038 268 in Wales. In Scotland, suspected cases should be reported to the local field services office. Suspected cases in Northern Ireland should be reported to the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or by contacting the local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.

A map of the area where movement restrictions apply can be found here.