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Runaway emu brought back home
Emus can grow to 1.9 metres in height, making them the second-tallest living bird.
The escapee roamed for a mile before he was found.

Jon and Laura Cardy were on their first holiday in years when they received a call saying that their emu had escaped.

Despite being locked in by the pet-sitter the evening before, one-year-old Rodney had leapt over a fence during the night and made his getaway.

Quickly returning to their home in rural Suffolk, Mr and Mrs Cardy set about trying to track down the missing bird, reporting his disappearance to the RSPCA, the RSPB, and the police.

Mr Cardy told the BBC: ”He's a big running bird and can cover a lot of ground quite quickly, so we didn't know where he might be.

"I think he might have been spooked by the storm overnight, and while he's very friendly, he's also very large and inquisitive - and he has a very large beak.

"Rodney is fascinated by anything shiny like rings and earrings and I was worried that if someone saw him coming towards them at high speed they might be a bit freaked out."

After hours of searching, Mr Cardy was sent a video in a local WhatsApp group about a peacock which had been found about a mile from where they lived. It wasn’t a peacock, it was Rodney.

Helped by a friend, Jon located his emu and brought him back home.

Rodney has been part of the Cardy household since he was two weeks old. Mr Cardy added: "He grew up in our kitchen and he is like one of the family.”

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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Its results will help the group to calculate how many unused or out-of-date antibiotics were returned as part of the campaign throughout November.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.