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EmailIphone Application    Posted: 27th December 2012
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Toddler stashes deadly snake eggs in wardrobe
Mother finds hatched eastern brown snakes in container

A toddler in Australia had a lucky escape after stashing eastern brown snake eggs in a plastic container tucked away in his wardrobe.

Kyle Cummings aged three found the eggs near his home in Townsville, Queensland, before storing them in a safe place. A few days later his mother found the seven deadly snakes after they had hatched. The reptiles were 12-15cm long.

Eastern brown snakes are highly venomous and are second only to the Inland Taipan when it comes to venom. Fortunately, in this instance they caused no harm to any of the Cummings family.

The snakes have since been released into the wild.

Trish Prendergast of North Queensland Wildlife Care, who released the snakes, said: "Their fangs are only a few millimetres long at that age, so they probably couldn't break the skin, but they're just as venomous as full-grown snakes.”

In September a Sydney teenager survived a bite on the hand from an Inland Taipan. He was rushed to hospital and given anti-venom.

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Its results will help the group to calculate how many unused or out-of-date antibiotics were returned as part of the campaign throughout November.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