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An Elephant to the Rescue
An elephant keeper from West Midland Safari Park received some help from an unlikely friend when his vehicle spluttered to a halt in the animal reserves and he found himself in a spot of bother.

Within minutes ‘Five’ - an 18-year-old African Elephant - was on the scene and assisted with a push start, alas to no avail. She then proceeded to lift the bonnet, removed the dipstick with her truck and passed it on to her frazzled keeper to check what had happened. 

Breakdown sorted and panic over Five had time to show off a few extra skills, which was all part of the service, and started on a touch of spring-cleaning. She reached into a bucket of water with her trunk, sprayed the vehicle with water to remove any dust, then gathered up a sponge with her trunk and cleaned the windows and paintwork with the style of a true professional.

Director of Wildlife, Bob Lawrence, said, “Five and her Keeper are a real team. It is said that an Elephant never forgets, thankfully we don’t experience many vehicle breakdowns, but next time Five will know exactly what to do”.

West Midland Safari Park have three African Elephants that have often engaged in a variety of unusual pursuits, such as creating works of art and playing football. It appears that there is no end to their extraordinary talents.

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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