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Flamingos form long-lasting friendships, study shows
Flamingos form social bonds rather than loose, random connections.
Findings could help in the management of captive flamingos

Flamingos form long-lasting friendships, and captive flocks should contain as many birds 'as reasonably possible', according to new research.

The finding by scientists at the University of Exeter also shows that we should be careful not to separate flamingos that are closely bonded to each other. 

In the study, researchers analysed data from four species of flamingo over five years. The four flocks of Caribbean, Chilean, Andean and Lesser Flamingoes were based at the WWT Slimbridge Wetland Centre in Gloucestershire.

Scientists found that, despite being highly social in flocks, flamingos consistently spend time with close “friends”. They also found that flamingos avoid spending time with certain individuals, suggesting that some flamingos don't get on with others.

Study author Dr Paul Rose, explains: “Our results indicate that flamingo societies are complex. They are formed of long-standing friendships rather than loose, random connections.

“Flamingos don’t simply find a mate and spend their time with that individual. Some mating couples spend much of their time together, but lots of other social bonds also exist.”

He added: “Flamingos have long lives – some of the birds in this study have been at Slimbridge since the 1960s – and our study shows their friendships are stable over a period of years.

“It seems that – like humans – flamingos form social bonds for a variety of reasons, and the fact they’re so long-lasting suggests they are important for survival in the wild.”

Among the social bonds found by the researchers include “married couples”, same-sex friendships and even groups of three to four close friends.

The flocks varied from just over 20 flamingos to more than 140, with bigger flocks containing a higher number of interactions.

Dr Rose said that the results could help in the management of captive flamingos.

“When moving birds from one zoo to another, we should be careful not to separate flamingos that are closely bonded to each other,” he said. “The simple lesson of this is that captive flamingo flocks should contain as many birds as reasonably possible”.

The study, 'Evaluating the social networks of four flocks of captive flamingos over a five-year-period: Temporal, environmental, group and health influences on assortment' is published in Behavioural Processes.


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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.