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EmailIphone Application    Posted: 11th March 2010
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Mystery Crash Landing
Photo c/o RSPCA.
Mystery surrounds the death of 75 starlings which crashed to the ground and died on a single driveway in Somerset.

The birds were spotted falling from the sky and onto the driveway of a house in Coxley, Somerset. RSPCA animal welfare officer (AWO) Alison Sparkes was alerted to the unusual incident by the police and went to help.

She discovered that most of the birds had suffered broken beaks, broken legs and wings and abdominal injuries, but were otherwise in good bodily condition.

All but five of the birds were dead and sadly they had to be put to sleep by veterinary staff at the RSPCA’s West Hatch Wildlife Centre, Taunton, Somerset, because of their
severe injuries.

Alison said: “It was a remarkable sight and I’ve never seen anything like it before. Onlookers said they heard a whooshing sound and then the birds just hit the ground. They had fallen onto the ground in quite a small area, about 12 feet in diameter.

“They appeared to be in good condition other than injuries that they appear to have suffered when they hit they ground. Our best guess is that this happened because the starlings were trying to escape a predator such as a sparrow hawk and ended up crash landing.”

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Its results will help the group to calculate how many unused or out-of-date antibiotics were returned as part of the campaign throughout November.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