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Rare Sumatran tiger born at ZSL London Zoo
The newborn is currently tucked away inside its cubbing den with mum Gaysha.

The arrival is being hailed as a boost to the collaborative global breeding programme. 

Keepers at ZSL London Zoo are celebrating the birth of a critically-endangered Sumatran tiger, one of the rarest and smallest subspecies of tigers in the world.

Born in the early hours of Sunday, 12 December to mum Gaysha (10) and dad Asim (10), the cub is part of an original litter of three, but sadly its siblings did not survive labour.

While the cub is yet to be named, incredible camera footage released by the Zoo shows the rare newborn being fed and cleaned by Gaysha in its cubbing den, as well as taking its first wobbly steps on the hay.

Keepers say the cub will remain in the cubbing den until vets can administer its first vaccinations, at which point they will also be able to determine its sex.

ZSL London Zoo tiger keeper Lucy Reed said: "The chunky little cub is doing really well in mum’s excellent care, and definitely takes after dad Asim in terms of size and strength. We’ve seen some key milestones already, with the little one taking its first steps almost immediately and - more recently - opening its eyes, which are always closed for the first few days after birth.
 
“At the moment, while we’re still keeping a close eye via cubcam, we’re also taking care not to disturb the family so that they can bond together - we can’t wait to get to know the little one as it grows bigger and begins to explore more of its surroundings.”  

The new cub comes just a year after the arrival of Gaysha at the Zoo and is being hailed as a boost to the collaborative global breeding programme for Sumatran tigers. The latest figures show just 300 remain in the wild.

Native to the forests and jungles of Sumatra, Indonesia, the species is classified as critically endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. Poaching, habitat loss and human conflict have been blamed for their continuing decline.

Image (C) ZSL London.

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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.