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EmailIphone Application    Posted: 10th January 2013
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'Glow in the dark donkey' project launched
UK animal charity pilots project to improve road safety

SPANA, the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad has teamed up with the Maun Animal Welfare Society (MAWS) in Botswana to make donkeys glow in the dark.

The project involves fitting the country's donkeys with reflective ear tags to improve their visibility to night-time road users.

"The people who own working donkeys are some of the poorest in Botswana's society," says Laura Higham, SPANA's outreach veterinary advisor. "[They] often have no choice other than to let their animals roam freely in search of food in the sparse desert environment. This practice is essential, but obviously makes the donkeys vulnerable to accidents, and we hope this simple solution will help reduce the number of collisions every year."

It is estimated that approximately 330,000 donkeys live in Botswana, and official figures report that 10% of road traffic accidents in the country involve night-time collisions with animals. This is a danger not only for the donkeys who become injured or killed, but also night-time drivers. Furthermore owners who lose their donkeys often then have no source of income.

MAWS Chairman Ally Lamb says: "In northern Botswana there's one donkey for every two people, and our welfare efforts for donkeys have been limited to humanely euthanising those that have been injured in road traffic accidents to prevent further suffering. Thanks to SPANA funding this tagging project, we hope to prevent these accidents happening all together."

So far the charity and its volunteers in Botswana have tagged 500 of the animals and SPANA will be closely monitoring the impact this has on road traffic accidents. Higham says:

"We hope to demonstrate a clear impact from tagging these animals…this could be a really crucial project, not just for animal welfare, but in terms of the people depending on those animals."

If the project is successful it is hoped that tagging may be rolled out in other parts of Africa

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Webinar to explore history of KC breed registers

News Story 1
 A free webinar exploring the development of the Kennel Club's registration system and the evolution of closed breed registers has been announced.

Hosted by Dr Alison Skipper, veterinary and research advisor at the Kennel Club, the webinar will delve into the development of the registry and how the changing landscape of scientific knowledge has shaped breeding practices. It will also look at what this means for the future of pedigree dogs.

The session will culminate with a look at The Kennel Club's ongoing and future engagement in this area, with a chance for attendees to put forward their thoughts and questions for discussion.

This event takes place on Microsoft Teams on Tuesday, 10 June at 7pm. To learn more, visit events.teams.microsoft.com  

Click here for more...
News Shorts
UK's BSE risk status downgraded

The WOAH has downgraded the UK's international risk status for BSE to 'negligible'.

Defra says that the UK's improved risk status recognises the reputation for having the highest standards for biosecurity. It adds that it demonstrates decades of rigorous animal control.

Outbreaks of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease, have previously resulted in bans on Britain's beef exports.

The UK's new status could lead to expanded trade and better confidence in British beef.

Christine Middlemiss, the UK's chief veterinary officer, said: "WOAH's recognition of the UK as negligible risk for BSE is a significant milestone and is a testament to the UK's strong biosecurity measures and the hard work and vigilance of farmers and livestock keepers across the country who have all played their part in managing the spread of this disease.