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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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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
BBC Radio 4 documentary addresses corporate fees

BBC Radio 4's File on 4 Investigates has released a documentary exploring how corporate-owned veterinary practices may be inflating bills to increase profit.

Released on 15 April, 'What's Happening To Your Vet Bills?' revealed the policies which many corporate groups have in place to increase their profits. This included targets and upgrades which veterinary teams are tasked with meeting on a regular basis.

It also features Anrich Vets, an independently-owned practice based in Wigan. Following the case of Staffordshire terrier Benjy, who is diagnosed with a tumour, the documentary shares how the team were able to offer contextualised care and advice to make the procedure as affordable as possible for his owners.

The documentary can be heard on demand on BBC iPlayer.