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EmailIphone Application    Posted: 22nd August 2016

GPS tracking and thermal imaging used to find missing tortoise
Sarah with Zuma
Sarah Joiner has owned Zuma for four decades.

Pet rescued after being collected by a rubbish truck

A pet tortoise that crawled into a rubbish bag and was collected by a refuse lorry has been returned home safe and well, after city council and waste services staff went to extreme lengths to save him.

Worried owner Sarah Joiner, 56, called Westminster City Council when she realised her 90-year-old tortoise Zuma was missing.

Council staff leapt into action, using GPS tracking to find the lorry that had collected Zuma. Luckily, they were able to trace the collection vehicle, which was carrying 10 tonnes of waste, before it tipped its waste into the huge storage bunker which processes thousands of tonnes of waste.

Zuma's owner Sarah donned protective clothing and helped waste management staff in their search for her tortoise. Aided by a thermal imaging camera, they hunted through around 1,000 black bin bags and, after a two-and-a-half hour search, found Zuma unharmed.

Contract manager Lynn Davis, commented: "I'm delighted we were able to find Zuma and return him to Mrs Joiner unharmed, he really has survived against the odds. The team were all keen to help when they heard what had happened and together we were able to ensure that the search was conducted safely and effectively.

"This was certainly a different way to spend a Friday afternoon and I'm just relieved we were successful."

Sarah, who has owned Zuma for four decades, added: "Thank you is never going to be enough. It was amazing teamwork; there was no nonsense about it just enormous goodwill in finding him."

Image courtesy of Westminster City Council

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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.

 

Click here for more...
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Germany livestock import ban lifted

The UK government has amended its ban on the import of livestock, meat and dairy products from Germany.

Defra said the decision follows 'rigorous technical assessment' of the measures applied and the current situation. "If the situation changes, we will not hesitate to take necessary action in response to the FMD outbreaks in the European Union to protect our domestic biosecurity," it said.

The ban was implemented in January following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) near Berlin. Personal imports of meat, milk and dairy products will remain in place at a country level.