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Passengers surprised after giant tortoise delays trains
The tortoise is expected to make a full recovery.
A giant African tortoise was found injured on the tracks in Suffolk.

Passengers travelling between Norwich and Cambridge by train yesterday had a tort-ally unbelievable experience when a large tortoise on the tracks caused all trains on the line to come to a halt.

The giant African tortoise was spotted on a track in the north east of Thetford at around 1midday, and had evidently been hit by a train, sporting a large gash through the middle of its shell. 

Several passengers took to social media to inform Greater Anglia of the tortoise, and once the trains were stopped, their surprise at the unusual reason behind the delay.

Diane Akers, a passenger en route to Norwich at the time, told Greater Anglia in a tweet: “@greateranglia There is a giant tortoise on the line past Eccles Road going away from Norwich it's still alive but injured.”

Another passenger, Anna Debenham, shared her experience in a Twitter thread: “We apologise for the 74 minute delay to this service. This was due a… tortoise on the tracks'

“Amazingly I did not mishear that. There is indeed a tortoise on the tracks that is causing chaos.

“The train announcer would like everyone to know that it is a Giant African Tortoise.”

The delayed trains were able to continue their journeys around an hour and a half later, with later services affected by the disruption.

With several people concerned about the tortoise, a spokesperson from Greater Anglia shared: “We have been informed by the [veterinary] specialist team that the tortoise is expected to make a full recovery.”

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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.