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Fire brigade rescues escaped iguana
Iguanas are excellent climbers.
The pet had escaped through a cat flap.

The Lincolnshire fire brigade rescued a pet iguana from high up in a tree after it escaped from its home.

Einstein the iguana was missing for 24 hours from his home in Horncastle, Lincolnshire. He had escaped through the microchip-activated cat flap after his owner had forgotten to reset it.

The day after his escape, Einstein was spotted on a branch high up in a neighbour’s tree. The RSPCA notified Lincolnshire Fire & Rescue, who sent out crews from two stations to rescue the pet.

With the help of a local tree surgeon, the fire brigade managed to bring Einstein down safely and restore him to his owner.

Horncastle Fire Station posted on Facebook: “A busy day for Horncastle crew today, and then we finished off with a small animal rescue, but to our surprise not what we were expecting.

“We got to meet the lovely Einstein the Iguana who got himself stuck up a very large tree. Thanks to Louth Fire Station and our amazing local tree surgeon for some assistance we managed to safely get him back down.”

Einstein’s owner Stuart Hoyle told the BBC: “Einstein considers himself the head of the household and he's always up to something. He's sometimes very clever and sometimes quite daft.”

Mr Hoyle revealed that after the rescue, Einstein returned to his favourite spot on the back of the sofa and ate a bowl of dandelions.

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Reporting service for dead wild birds updated

News Story 1
 The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has updated its online reporting service for dead wild birds.

The new version allows those reporting a dead bird to drop a pin on a map when reporting the location. It also includes a wider range of wild bird species groups to select from when describing the bird.

The online service, which helps APHA to monitor the spread of diseases such as avian influenza, can be accessed here

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NI chief vet urges bluetongue vigilance

Northern Ireland's chief veterinary officer (CVO) has urged farmers to be vigilant for signs of bluetongue, after the Animal and Plant Health Agency warned there was a very high probability of further cases in Great Britain.

There have been 126 confirmed cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 in England since November 2023, with no cases reported in Northern Ireland. The movement of live ruminants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is currently suspended.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the virus is most likely to enter Northern Ireland through infected animals or germplasm (semen or ova) being imported.

Brian Dooher, Northern Ireland's CVO, said: "Surveillance for this disease within Northern Ireland has been increased to assist with detection at the earliest opportunity which will facilitate more effective control measures."

Farmers should report any suspicions of the disease to their private veterinary practitioner, the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or their local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.