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Giraffes to be given greater protection against unregulated trade
Fewer than 100,000 giraffes are estimated to remain in the wild today.

CITES convention votes for move after staggering fall in giraffe numbers

Giraffes are to be given greater protection against unregulated trade after a vote by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

The move comes in response to the fact that giraffe numbers have fallen by as much as 40 per cent over the past decade. Fewer than 100,000 giraffes are estimated to remain in the wild today owing to poaching, habitat loss for agriculture and human-wildlife conflict.

Giraffes are hunted for their bushmeat, but their body parts are also used for clothing, furniture, and speciality knives.

According to BBC News, the motion to regulate the trade in body parts came from Kenya, Chad, the Central African Republic, Senegal, Mali and Niger. Here there has been a significant fall in giraffe populations.

But South African countries opposed the move, stating there was not enough evidence to support the notion that international trade was contributing to the giraffe’s decline.

Under the new rules, permits will be mandatory and countries will be required to record the export.

Speaking at a news briefing, Tom De Meulenaer, Cites' scientific services chief said: "The giraffe is, in the wild, much rarer than African elephants, much rarer. We are talking about a few tens of thousands of giraffes, and about a few hundreds of thousands of African elephants. So we need to be careful.”

But Julian Fennessy from IUCN’s giraffe and okapi specialist group said the protection was “not going to save giraffe in the wild”. He argued that increased financial and political support was needed, as well as more resources on the ground.

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Vets to run marathon for World Animal Protection

News Story 1
 Two recently graduated veterinary surgeons will be running the London Marathon in April to raise money for the charity World Animal Protection.

Alex Bartlett and Maeve O'Neill plan to run the race together if they are given the same start times.

Dr O'Neill said: "You're always limited in what you can do to help animals, so it is nice to raise money for a charity that helps animals around the world."

Dr Bartlett added: "I have never run a marathon before and am excited to run my first one for such a good cause!"

Both Dr Bartlett and Dr O'Neill have fundraising pages online. 

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News Shorts
BSAVA releases new Guide to Procedures

The British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) has published a new edition of its Guide to Procedures for Small Animal Practice.

It has added four new procedures; cystostomy tube placement, endotracheal intubation, point-of-care ultrasound and wet-to-dry dressings.

BSAVA says that it is an essential step-by-step guide to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures performed in practice. The textbook includes new images and illustrations, as well as high-definition videos for use prior to procedures.

Nick Bexfield and Julia Riggs, editors of the new edition, said: "We have built upon the success of the previous editions by responding to the feedback received from the BSAVA readership, and hope this new guide helps to further increase the confidence and accuracy with which these procedures are performed."

Print copies are available in the BSAVA store, with a digital version in the BSAVA library.