Animals

Countryside vote may have unexpected teeth

As political campaigners across the UK start knocking on doors ahead of the general election, rural insurer, NFU Mutual is warning that those chasing the countryside vote might find it has unexpected teeth.

Over the past two years, the insurer paid out over £1 million in claims for dogs biting visitors to rural properties. With the general election only weeks away, the insurer is...

Devon charity builds international presence

A leading South West conservation charity has created two new posts as it expands its crucial overseas work. The Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust, based at Paignton Zoo, has announced new staff for its projects in Vietnam and Nigeria.

Emmanuel Olabode has been appointed as Education & Research Coordinator at the Nigerian Conservation Foundation, while Heidi Quine takes up the...

Orang utan telly

The orang utans at Paignton Zoo have got themselves a TV.

The 47 inch flat screen telly was donated by Richards TV and Electrical of Babbacombe.

However, it’s not for the endangered South East Asian primates to watch soaps and wildlife documentaries, but for visitors to view clips of them.

The TV will play recorded videos and stills images of the Zoo’s Bornean orang...

NFU and Tractor Ted launch kid's competition

The NFU and popular children’s series Tractor Ted have joined forces to launch a brand new competition with a prize worth over £1000.

The competition encourages 4-7 year olds to think about where their food comes from by playing a matching up game.

The prize of a visit from Tractor Ted’s Little Farm Live will give one youngster the chance to experience a farm, with real live...

Gym heroes are all Winners

Members of a local gym teamed up to help Paignton Zoo’s orang utans.

A group from Winners 2000 Fitness in Paignton worked in heavy mud to build a new climbing frame on one of the islands used by the great apes.

Emily Rogers from Paignton Zoo said: “They made light work of the huge task. There were more than twenty large wooden poles that needed erecting on the island and the...

Giant ants invade Paignton Zoo

A long line of colourful ants is marching through Paignton Zoo.

The 8-inch insects form a trail that will lead from the Zoo’s entrance building all the way to the new invertebrate house, a distance of over 300 metres.

The invaders are pictures which are being coloured in and hung up. The Amazing Ant Trail will guide visitors to the new Investigate exhibit, which is due to open...

RSPCA urges pet owners to make sure animals are safe in storms

The RSPCA is warning owners to make sure their animals are safe ahead of new storms expected over the next couple of days.

Many people have struggled over the Christmas period after torrential weather hit parts of England and Wales. Heavy rain and high winds could also pose a threat to wildlife, horses and livestock and the RSPCA has received hundreds of calls about animals which have...

Owners to spend £300 million pampering their pets this Christmas

Animal lovers are expected to spend about £300 million pounds pampering their pets this Christmas a survey by the RSPCA has revealed.

Nine out of ten owners (91%) are buying their pet a present this year with almost a fifth (18%) admitting they will be spending more on their pet than their mother-in-law.

An RSPCA poll of almost 900 pet owners revealed most (54%) will be...

RSPCA set for busy Christmas

The RSPCA is braced for a busy festive period after dealing with a bumper number of calls about cruelty over Christmas last year (2012).

Last year staff answered 833 calls about neglect and cruelty on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day – 53 per cent more than the same period in 2011.

Calls to help collect injured and abandoned animals were also up by about a third (32...

Farmers plead guilty of causing suffering to animals

Two Somerset men have pleaded guilty on four charges of causing unnecessary suffering to two sheep and two cows.

Derek Oatley, 71, and his 68-year-old brother Terrance Oatley, of Moor Lane Farm, Draycott near Cheddar, appeared at Yeovil Magistrates Court following an investigation led by Devon and Somerset Trading Standards.

Their investigations were in response to complaints...

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