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Worker finds five foot snake in van
Image corn snake
A red corn snake, similar to the one found in the hire van.
Hired van contains a large surprise

A 5ft long snake has caused a stir after slithering into a hired van. The North American red corn snake was found by a stunned worker who had hired the van to move some mattresses.

Steve Potter, 40, who works at bedding firm J Rosenthal in Bury, told the Telegraph he was in "complete and utter disbelief" when he opened the van to find the reptile.

It is believed the snake may have been left behind by somebody who had previously hired the van to move house.

Bury Van Hire called in reptile expert Joe McQuade, also known as Crocodile Joe, to rescue the animal.

Joe, 45, told the Telegraph: "He's gorgeous. Whoever owns him will be really missing him I imagine. These animals are great escape-artists and owners need to be responsible.

"They often get free and it's only a matter of time before a venomous snake gets out and something bad happens."

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Submissions open for BSAVA Clinical Research Abstracts 2026

News Story 1
 The BSAVA has opened submissions for the BSAVA Clinical Research Abstracts 2026.

It is an opportunity for applicants to present new research on any veterinary subject, such as the preliminary results of a study, discussion of a new technique or a description of an interesting case.

They must be based on high-quality clinical research conducted in industry, practice or academia, and summarised in 250 words.

Applications are welcome from vets, vet nurses, practice managers, and students.

Submissions are open until 6 March 2026. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Survey seeks ruminant sector views on antimicrobial stewardship

A new survey is seeking views of people working in the UK ruminant sector on how to tackle the challenge of demonstrating responsible antibiotic stewardship.

Forming part of a wider, collaborative initiative, the results will help identify the types of data available so that challenges with data collection can be better understood and addressed.

Anyone working in the UK farming sector, including vets and farmers,is encouraged to complete the survey, which is available at app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk