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Escaped porcupine evades Suffolk police
Sudbury and Haverhill Police are asking anyone who sees the latest porcupine runaway to contact a local vet or the RSPCA.
The quilled rodent is on the run in Clare, Suffolk.

Suffolk police have launched an appeal on Facebook after they spotted a porcupine on the loose.

The creature was seen by police officers who were driving through the market town of Clare at 1.30am on 20 September.

The officers stopped on the B1063 in attempt to catch the fugitive, however it disappeared into a nearby garden.

Porcupines are more commonly found in America, Africa, Asia and parts of Europe.

The rodents’ Latin name, Erethizon dorsatum, literally means ‘quill pig’, a reference to the 30,000 needle-like quills that grow on their backs, sides and tails.

Though they cannot shoot them at predators, their sharp quills leap to attention as a deterrent and are often found stuck in animals that have had a porcupine encounter.

The escapee may be approximately 25-36 inches in height, and weigh between 12- 35lbs.

This isn’t the first time Suffolk has had a porcupine problem, after a local newspaper reported three of the rodents roving between Bury St Edmunds and Clare in September 2021.

Firefighters in nearby Cambridgeshire have also been surprised to see a porcupine on the loose in the village of Harston after they had answered a call-out in August 2021.

Sudbury and Haverhill Police are asking anyone who sees the latest porcupine runaway to contact a local vet or the RSPCA.

Image © Shutterstock

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Practices urged to audit neutering data

News Story 1
 RCVS Knowledge has called on vet practices to audit their post-operative neutering outcomes.

It follows the release of the 2024 NASAN benchmarking report, which collates data from neutering procedures performed on dogs, cats and rabbits.

The benchmarking report enables practices in the UK and Ireland to compare their post-operative outcomes to the national average. This includes the rate of patients lost to follow-up, which in 2024 increased to 23 per cent.

Anyone from the practice can submit the data using a free template. The deadline for next report is February 2026.

Visit the RCVS Knowledge website to complete an audit. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
RCVS pays tribute to well-loved equine vet

The RCVS and the Riding Establishments Subcommittee has paid tribute to well-loved veterinary surgeon and riding establishment inspector, Rebecca Hamilton-Fletcher MRCVS.

Linda Belton MRCVS, RCVS President, said: "I, along with my colleagues on the RESC, RCVS Council, RCVS Standards Committee, as well as RCVS staff, was very saddened to hear of the sudden death of Rebecca, or Becca as we knew her, last week.

"She was a true advocate for equine welfare and in her many years on the RESC worked to continually improve the quality and consistency of riding establishment inspections, all in the interests of enhanced horse welfare and rider safety."