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Giant goldfish caught in France
Generic koi carp (C) Shutterstock.
'The Carrot' weighed in at a hefty 30kg.

A man from Worcestershire had a giant surprise when he caught an enormous goldfish while angling in Champagne, France, as reported by BBC News.

While the average household pet goldfish weighs eight ounces – or approximately 0.2 kgs – this massive fish weighed in at a whopping 30kg.

Known at Bluewater Lakes where he resides as 'The Carrot', the goldfish is a hybrid of a leather carp and a koi carp, and has been at Bluewater Lakes for 20 years, proving himself to be a rare and difficult catch.

Andy Hackett, the angler who caught Mr Carrot, told BBC News about the catch: "With normal fish, you struggle to see them if they're just under the surface, but The Carrot is obviously bright orange so you can't miss it.

"[But] it's a much sought-after fish, not many people have caught it, it's quite elusive.”

After being weighed, and having had some obligatory photos taken, The Carrot was returned back to the lake, to evade more anglers.

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Free event for the global unowned cat community

News Story 1
 International Cat Care (ICatCare) has announced a free, virtual event dedicated to caring for unowned cats to explore new ideas and ways of working.

iCatConnect 2025 takes place on Wednesday, 12 November, and is open to everyone working and volunteering with unowned cats. It will include a line-up of 12 international cat welfare experts, who will consider the bigger picture of unowned cats and explore practical, effective, and inclusive solutions.

Following the session, attendees can put their questions to the experts and share their views. They will also hear frontline challenges and real-world case studies shared by contributors working in shelters, TNR, community cat programmes, and veterinary teams from around the world. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
Bluetongue reaches Wales for first time in 2025

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has revealed that bluetongue has been confirmed in Wales for the first time in 2025.

In their latest statistics, APHA records a total of 109 cases of BTV-3 or BTV-8 in Great Britain in the 2025-2026 vector season.

The total number of BTV-3 cases in Great Britain this season is 107. This includes 103 cases within the England restricted zone and four cases in Wales.

There has also been two cases of BTV-8, which were both in Cornwall.

As a result of the cases in Wales, a Temporary Control Zone (TCZ) is enforced in Monmouthshire. Animals can move freely under general license within the England Restricted Zone, however animals with suspected bluetongue must stay on their holding.

All premises testing positive for blue tongue can be viewed on this map.