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Endangered turtle bred in UK
Image: Bristol Zoo
The Vietnamese box turtle successfully bred

Bristol Zoo have become the first in the UK to successfully breed the critically endangered Vietnamese box turtle.

The zoo is part of a European breeding programme and, until now, the only other place in Europe to have bred the turtle, which happens to be one of the rarest in the world, is another zoo in Germany.

The baby, called Vernon, was born in July and is about 5cm (2in) long now. He lives in a boggy tank which replicates his natural habitat, and is hoped to grow to around 1kg (2.2lb) and live for up to 50 years.

Staff at the zoo have said the species was very difficult to breed.

"Not a lot is known about this species so we can learn an awful lot from this baby to improve our chances of breeding more in future," said Tim Skelton, Reptile curator at the zoo.

He added this was a 40-year career highlight for him.

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Equine Disease Surveillance report released for Q4 2025

News Story 1
 The latest Equine Disease Surveillance report has been released, with details on equine disease from Q4 of 2025.

The report, produced by Equine Infectious Disease Surveillance, includes advice on rule changes for equine influenza vaccination.

Statistics and maps detail recent outbreaks of equine herpes virus, equine influenza, equine strangles and equine grass sickness. A series of laboratory reports provides data on virology, bacteriology, parasitology and toxicosis.

This issue also features a case study of orthoflavivus-associated neurological disease in a horse in the UK. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NSA webinar explores sheep tailing and castration

The National Sheep Association (NSA) is to host a free webinar on the castration and tail docking of lambs.

The webinar, 'Understanding the tailing and castration consultation: A guide for sheep farmers', will be hosted online on Monday, 2 March 2026 at 7.30pm.

It comes during a government consultation into the methods used for these procedures. Farmers are encouraged to engage before the consultation period closes on Monday, 9 March 2026.

The webinar offers clear and actionable guidance to support farmers to contribute meaningfully to the consultation and prepare for potential changes.

On the panel will be former SVS president Kate Hovers, farmer and vet Ann Van Eetvelt and SRUC professor in Animal Health and Veterinary Sciences Cathy Dwyer. Each panel member will utilise their own specialism and expertise to evaluate risks and outcomes to sheep farming.

Find out more about the webinar on the NSA website.