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'Snip the straps' off face masks, public urged
RSPCA officers were called out to a gull with a face mask wrapped tightly around its legs.

New figures reveal impact of litter on wildlife since start of lockdown.

The RSPCA has issued a plea to the public to 'snip the straps' off disposable face masks after a gull was found with a mask wrapped tightly around its legs.

The charity reports that the bird has made a full recovery, despite the mask causing swelling to his legs, and hopes that the new 'snip the straps' message will prevent similar incidents from occurring.

RSPCA chief executive Chris Sherwood said: “For many years the public have been aware of the message to cut up plastic six-pack rings before throwing them away to stop animals getting tangled in them, and now we are keen to get out the message that the same should be done for face masks too - as very sadly, animals are susceptible to getting tangled up in them.”

The call comes as new figures show the impact litter has had on animals since the start of lockdown. Since 23 March, RSPCA Cymru reports that it handled 35 separate incidents across the country concerning animals caught in rubbish.

Among the incidents include a swan found with his head stuck in a discarded foam play square, and another swan rescued after getting a barbed fishing hook stuck in his neck. The RSPCA says that the majority of these events are entirely preventable if rubbish is disposed of correctly.

Mr Sherwood added: “Our RSPCA officers have had to rescue animals from getting tangled in face masks and we expect incidents may go up as time goes on, so the best thing to do is to simply cut the elastic ear straps in half before throwing it away.”

Image (C) RSPCA.

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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.