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EmailIphone Application    Posted: 2019-04-12
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Symposium calls for collaborative approach to strangles
“There is no reason why stamping out strangles in this country cannot become a reality with a commitment to good practices" - Andie Vilela.
Experts debate how to better manage the disease

Equine welfare representatives have called for a collaborative approach to strangles, saying there is no reason why it could not be eradicated if more people were inspired to take action.

They made the call at an industry symposium which united leaders from across the equine community to discuss the better prevention and management of the disease.

Sponsored by Redwings Horse Sanctuary and The British Horse Society (BHS), with collaboration from SRUC, The University of Edinburgh, the Animal Health Trust (AHT) and World Horse Welfare, the event was attended by vets, farriers, yard managers, equestrian governing bodies and welfare charities.

Attendees shared their latest research, which included updates from the AHT on promising vaccine developments, the strangles surveillance scheme, and the value of the Premium Assured Strangles Scheme for certification of yards.

Scotland’s chief veterinary officer Shiela Voas chaired a debate on what more the sector could do to influence good biosecurity. Topics included the larger role of vets in encouraging better practices amongst clients and whether strangles should be made ‘reportable’.

Andie Vilela, Redwings’ education and campaigns manager, said: “There has never been more information, advice and help available for horse owners to effectively prevent and tackle strangles, and yet it remains the UK’s most prevalent infectious disease with over 600 outbreaks every year.

“There is no reason why stamping out strangles in this country cannot become a reality with a commitment to good practices and actions, such as identifying and treating strangles carriers. This symposium provided the chance for representatives from the across the equine sector not only to evaluate their own practices but figure out how we can work together to inspire and support others to do more.”

The symposium, 'Together we can stamp out Strangles,’ took place at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies.  

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Endangered turtles rescued from smugglers

News Story 1
 A group of endangered turtles have found a new home at London Zoo after being rescued from smugglers.

The four big-headed turtles arrived at the zoo at the end of last year, after smugglers tried to illegally import them to Canada, labelled as toys.

One of the turtles, named Lady Triệu after a Vietnamese warrioress, has moved to a new exhibit in the zoo’s reptile house. She is the only one of her kind in a UK zoo.

Big-headed turtles have such large heads that they cannot pull them back into their shells. To compensate, they have armour plating from head to tail and a very sharp beak to fend off predators. They are ranked number 18 on ZSL’s EDGE of Existence reptile list, which puts threatened species at the forefront of conservation action. Image © ZSL  

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Professor Abdul Rahman announced as keynote speaker for BVA Members’ Day 2019

Celebrated Indian vet and parasitologist Professor Abdul Rahman is set to deliver the keynote speech at BVA Members’ Day 2019.

Professor Rahman will present his insights into the human behaviour challenges of controlling zoonotic disease in his talk: ‘A One Health approach to rabies elimination in Asia’. The talk will outline efforts to gain political support for dog vaccination programmes in China, as well as the need for a collaborative approach between vets, public health, livestock and animal welfare agencies.

The event takes place on Thursday, 19 September at Brangwyn Hall, Swansea. Tickets are free but must be reserved through the BVA website as places are limited.