Veterinary surgeons, animal welfare organizations and animal shelters are being increasingly asked to advise on, treat or look after injured, diseased or orphaned wild mammals and birds. The assistance which can be given to those creatures is often limited by the lack of knowledge the potential helpers have of the basic care and management of the animals. In an attempt to provide some of this essential background knowledge, Marian Small has prepared a 40 page A4 booklet on the natural history, care and feeding of a number of common British land mammals. Details are given on the general biology of the species, on means of capture, on food and food preferences, on suitable accommodation and, to a varying degree, on injuries, first aid and common diseases. There are a number of whole page, black and white illustrations by Lynne Mustard. This volume, which has been sponsored by Intervet UK, should be most useful to those who have to deal with wildlife casualties.

Each year the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) holds an Animal Welfare Forum. The papers presented at this annual event are published in the Journal of the AVMA and are collectively reprinted as a ‘proceedings of the meeting’. In 1994 the Forum met in Rosemont, Illinois and the subject was Veterinary Perspectives on the Use of Animals in Research. The following seven papers were given and are now published, together with a brief Opening remarks’ by the then President Elect of the AVMA in the February 15th issue of the AVMA journal.

Two publications recently put out by the Royal Society for the Protection of Animals (RSPCA) clearly and succinctly present many of the ethical concepts which underpin the beliefs of Western societies pro-animal lobby.

Each year very large numbers of wild mammals and birds are killed by man. Some of this killing is for sport; some is for pest control; and some is accidental. A report based on an investigation carried out by Ν C Fox on behalf of the Hawk Board - a component body of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee of the Department of Environment - into the nature and extent of animal suffering caused by current methods of pest control and field sports, has now been published. The data presented have been derived from the literature and contributions from, and extensive consultations with professional specialists. Some fascinating if unusual ‘facts’ are put forward: humans driving cars probably kill up to 220 million vertebrates each year; domestic cats probably account for some 210 million more. These figures are in contrast to the small number of animals taken by falconers (c 60,000) and hunts (c 35,000 foxes, hares or deer). It is also argued that the use of gazehounds (ie greyhounds, lurchers, whippets) and raptors is probably the most humane method of killing wild animals in that the catch-to-kill time is short, and the prey are either caught and quickly killed or they escape largely uninjured.

It is probably true that most of the general public would confess to a general lack of understanding of biotechnology, and many would not be clear as to what techniques are included in the term. This is unfortunate as it means that they also do not have a good understanding of the methods by which their food is produced, and of the ethical principles involved. There is therefore a good argument that to improve the standards of decision making in this area there should be more education. This volume contains papers presented at a conference organized by Norwegian and Swedish ethical organizations. The conference brought together scientists and participants from non-governmental organizations (NGOs). None of the discussions are reported but the editors do provide a summary of the conference, from which it is clear that there was some polarization of opinion between the scientists and the NGOs.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) has now published its 18th annual report on bovine tuberculosis in badgers. Previous reports in this series have, over the years, detailed the evidence that badgers can be involved in the maintenance and spread of the disease, and the actions that have been taken to deal with the problem.

The following notes have largely been collated from the publishers ‘publicity material. A Report or full Review may appear in a subsequent issue of Animal Welfare.