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Bats drop from the sky in heatwave
Image bat
Australian health officials urge caution

Thousands of bats are reportedly dropping from the sky in Queensland, Australia, thought to be a result of recent extreme temperatures.

Heat stress due to severe weather has been blamed for the recent spate of bat deaths. As a result, wildlife groups say there has been a rise in the number of bats and flying foxes in suburban areas, searching for food and water.

Officials from Queensland Health say there has been an increase of 250 per cent in the number of people reporting exposure to bat bites and scratches since the beginning of 2013.

Chief health officer Dr Jeanette Young says the majority of these exposures occur when people attempt to handle injured, trapped or sick bats.

Recent reports of bat deaths have prompted Dr Young to issue a warning to members of the public not to touch the animals, but to contact the RSPCA or local wildlife care group.

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Strangles survey seeks views of horse owners

News Story 1
 With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.

The survey, which has been designed by Dechra, aims to raise awareness of Strangles and promote best practices to prevent its transmission. It includes questions about horse owners' experiences of strangles, together with preventative measures and vaccination.

Respondents to the survey will be entered into a prize draw to win two VIP tickets to Your Horse Live 2025. To access the survey, click here 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
DAERA to reduce BVD 'grace period'

DAERA has reminded herd keepers of an upcoming reduction to the 'grace period' to avoid BVD herd restrictions.

From 1 May 2025, herd keepers will have seven days to cull any BVD positive or inconclusive animals to avoid restrictions being applied to their herd.

It follows legislation introduced on 1 February, as DAERA introduces herd movement restrictions through a phased approach. Herd keepers originally had 28 days to cull BVD positive or inconclusive animals.

DAERA says that, providing herd keepers use the seven-day grace period, no herds should be restricted within the first year of these measures.

Additional measures, which will target herds with animals over 30 days old that haven't been tested for BVD, will be introduced from 1 June 2025.

More information is available on the DAERA website.