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Eviction fears for Vietnam bear sanctuary
National park gives notice to bear rescue staff

A Vietnamese national park is planning to evict a bear rescue sanctuary from its land for national security purposes, it claims.

The Vietnam Bear Rescue Centre, ran by international charity Animals Asia Foundation, houses more than 100 endangered bears. It is currently situated in a lowland valley between forested mountains in Tam Dao National Park.

According to the charity, however, the park has backed plans for an eco-development by a company co-founded by the park director's daughter. It therefore suspects the motive is profit.

Most of the bears have been rescued from the illegal bile-farming industry, in which bears are kept caged and digestive bile is forcibly extracted from their gall bladders. The bile is then sold on the black market for use in traditional medicine.

Animals Asia fears it will receive no compensation for the loss of infrastructure and loss of 77 local jobs, and is worried how it will care for the bears while it seeks a replacement location.

"It's no understatement to say that everyone is living in fear, considering that our bears and staff have all been given notice to quit with nowhere to go," said the charity's British founder, Jill Robinson.

Animals Asia is now calling on Vietnam's prime minister, Nguyen Tan Dung, to abandon the plans, claiming that the eviction would breech the government's signed agreement with the charity.

The country's Ministry of Agriculture, which oversees the park, has said it wants the land for national security purposes, denying that any company is seeking to use the land.

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
RCVS pays tribute to well-loved equine vet

The RCVS and the Riding Establishments Subcommittee has paid tribute to well-loved veterinary surgeon and riding establishment inspector, Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS.

Linda Belton MRCVS, RCVS President, said: "I, along with my colleagues on the RESC, RCVS Council, RCVS Standards Committee, as well as RCVS staff, was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Rebecca, or Becca as we knew her, last week.

"She was a true advocate for equine welfare and in her many years on the RESC worked to continually improve the quality and consistency of riding establishment inspections, all in the interests of enhanced horse welfare and rider safety."