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Farm day visitors warned over Cryptosporidium parasite threat

Yahoo

5 hours ago

Yahoo

Farm day visitors warned over Cryptosporidium parasite threat

Tens of thousands of visitors due to attend a UK-wide open farm day this weekend have been warned about a parasitic infection that causes serious gastrointestinal illness. There were 17 outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis linked to farms in England and Wales in 2024 and an outbreak in south Wales earlier this year has seen dozens of people fall ill. According to inspection reports from the past five years - released to the BBC under the Freedom of Information Act - some farms repeatedly ignored health inspectors' advice and allowed children to handle sick animals in filthy pens. The organisers of Open Farm Sunday, which sees 190,000 visitors, said its farms have high health and safety standards. Cryptosporidium can cause severe stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhoea and is spread through direct contact with animals or touching surfaces that have animal faeces on them. The young, pregnant women and those with health conditions which affect their immune system can be particularly vulnerable. Public Health Wales said individual cases of cryptosporidiosis linked to visits to Cowbridge Farm Shop at Marlborough Grange Farm in Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan, this spring had now risen to 89 people. In England, one of those affected after a farm visit was Emily Fryer's six-year-old son Isaac. He was admitted to hospital after falling ill following a visit to Gannow Farm in Worcestershire last year. Mrs Fryer told the BBC: "He didn't eat or drink for about five days. He just slept all the time. His sugars were dangerously low and they admitted him. "Obviously, I was really worried then. Because he is autistic and non-verbal, we didn't really know how we could help him." Mrs Fryer said the family had taken hygiene seriously when they visited the farm and had washed their hands thoroughly using facilities provided on site. A year earlier the farm had been issued with a prohibition notice by the Health and Safety Executive because it was failing to prevent or control the risk of exposure to cryptosporidium. Those issues were dealt with and the farm was licensed to show animals to the public in 2024. Mrs Fryer said she was disappointed that the farm had been allowed to reopen to visitors. "I just think it's awful," she said. The owners of the farm, which has now stopped its open days, declined to comment when approached by the BBC but have previously said they had "made every precaution possible" to prevent an outbreak. Many farms across the UK have had to diversify their businesses over recent years to boost their profitability, with public open days, petting farms and play barns becoming an important source of income. But inspection reports released to the BBC under the Freedom Information Act by the UK's national cryptosporidium reference unit show that a small number of farms are not meeting health and safety standards - and, in extreme cases, are ignoring warnings from inspectors. On one farm in Wales, which was linked to a number of outbreaks, inspectors found sick animals kept on display and a lack of handwashing facilities, risk assessments and staff training. According to reports, the inspectors told the farm those failings were "consistent with those identified previously. This indicates you are failing to maintain the required improvements from one season to the next". Another farm visited in 2023 had also failed to implement recommendations from a previous inspection, which led to another outbreak of cryptosporidiosis, while another farm, due to host a school visit a few days after inspection, was found to be failing. "Comparing current visit to last year found the conditions worse," the report noted. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the 16 outbreaks in England last year was a provisional figure and data analysis due to be published later in the month may see that rise. Both Public Health Wales and the UKHSA have warned the estimated 190,000 visitors who will be visiting the 250 farms taking part in Open Farm Sunday this weekend to make sure they take basic hygiene measures. Jo Hatton, an education specialist for organisers of the open farm event LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming), said all its participating farmers were given advice and training on how best to keep visitors safe. "We are supporting farmers to open their farms and with their risk assessments. We are on the phone with farmers checking in with them throughout the planning process and helping them to understand how to ensure that that visit goes smoothly and everyone goes home happy and healthy," she explained. One farm manager who says he is ensuring the highest health and safety standards for visitors on Sunday is Andy Bason, who will be welcoming around 2,000 visitors onto Newhouse Farm, Alresford, Hampshire. He said LEAF's health and safety training had "really opened my eyes to what's needed to host this kind of event". "With the kind of numbers we see, it is a huge task. We want everyone to come here, have a great day and go home safe without any illness," he explained. The National Farmers' Union (NFU) said that the health and safety of all visitors to farms was "taken extremely seriously". Number of people ill from petting farm hits 89 Infection causes girl to lose half her body weight Family attraction confirms outbreak of sickness bug

Orphaned bear cub cared for by humans dressed up as bears

CNN

10 hours ago

CNN

Orphaned bear cub cared for by humans dressed up as bears

Gloves, a fur coat and a bear mask. This outfit might sound like avant-garde fashion, but it's actually the uniform of caretakers at the San Diego Humane Society who are raising an orphaned black bear cub. Campers in California's Los Padres National Forest found the cub in April. Biologists from the state's Department of Fish and Wildlife tried looking for the cub's mother for several days. After no sign of her, the humane society took him in. The cub, who was nearly two months old when he was taken in, is the youngest black bear the organization has ever cared for, according to Autumn Welch, the society's wildlife operations manager and one of the cub's caregivers. 'At that age, he would be with his mom 24/7 and not really venture away from the den,' Welch said. 'He definitely wouldn't have been able to survive on his own, so he most likely will be in rehab for about a year.' The goal is to eventually release the cub back into the wild, so the bear costumes worn by his caretakers reduce the risk of him imprinting on humans. But do the costumes actually convince the cub he's being taken care of by other bears? According to Welch, they do. She said that caregivers recently performed a test by entering his enclosure without the costume to make sure the cub is not identifying them as humans. Discover your world Go beyond the headlines and explore the latest scientific achievements and fascinating discoveries. Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. 'He was afraid and ran up the tree,' Welch said. 'That's what we want.' The caregivers wear real fur coats that were donated to the humane society, Welch said. To make the costumes even more believable, the furs are stored in sealed containers with hay sourced from a local wildlife sanctuary that also houses bears. She said the hay helps the furs have a black bear scent. 'Now, we don't know if he looks at us as like surrogate mamas,' she said. 'I feel like it's more like we are his playmates, like his siblings, that are coming in and if he does want to play with us, we redirect him to his teddy bears.' Along with teddy bears, the cub's enclosure is also filled with donated furs, black bear-scented hay, trees and plenty of places for him to climb and hide to simulate a den, Welch said. The cub sleeps on and hides under one of the larger teddy bears, which Welch thinks he sees as his mother. 'This large teddy bear was something that provided him comfort,' Welch said. 'When we were not there, he would seek shelter by her, go rest against her, take naps all cuddled up with the bear.' The caregivers use their time in the cub's enclosure to teach him skills that his mother would have taught him, like how to climb, how to find grasses and insects to eat and how to build a nest, Welch said. 'It's been wonderful to see him hit various milestones,' she said. 'I remember the first time he ate a bug, he dug through the dirt and picked out a beetle and ate it, which was great.' The staff at the San Diego Humane Society isn't the first to suit up to take care of orphaned wildlife. Employees at the Richmond Wildlife Center in Virginia wore a fox mask while caring for an orphaned kit. At the Wildlife Midlands Centre in South Africa, an employee used a makeshift crane costume to teach an orphaned chick how to drink water. Welch said wearing a mask to take care of young wildlife is a strategy that they've used when bottle feeding baby raccoons and coyote pups. She said it's important since young wildlife is very impressionable. Since they have never cared for such a young bear, they had to order supplies, including the bear masks. Welch estimates it will cost $72,000 to take care of the cub for a year. 'It's a labor of love,' she said. 'We are happy to help these animals and get them back out and someday see him thrive in the wild — it's going to be the best thing ever.'

CNN

10 hours ago

CNN

Orphaned bear cub cared for by humans dressed up as bears

Gloves, a fur coat and a bear mask. This outfit might sound like avant-garde fashion, but it's actually the uniform of caretakers at the San Diego Humane Society who are raising an orphaned black bear cub. Campers in California's Los Padres National Forest found the cub in April. Biologists from the state's Department of Fish and Wildlife tried looking for the cub's mother for several days. After no sign of her, the humane society took him in. The cub, who was nearly two months old when he was taken in, is the youngest black bear the organization has ever cared for, according to Autumn Welch, the society's wildlife operations manager and one of the cub's caregivers. 'At that age, he would be with his mom 24/7 and not really venture away from the den,' Welch said. 'He definitely wouldn't have been able to survive on his own, so he most likely will be in rehab for about a year.' The goal is to eventually release the cub back into the wild, so the bear costumes worn by his caretakers reduce the risk of him imprinting on humans. But do the costumes actually convince the cub he's being taken care of by other bears? According to Welch, they do. She said that caregivers recently performed a test by entering his enclosure without the costume to make sure the cub is not identifying them as humans. Discover your world Go beyond the headlines and explore the latest scientific achievements and fascinating discoveries. Sign up for CNN's Wonder Theory science newsletter. 'He was afraid and ran up the tree,' Welch said. 'That's what we want.' The caregivers wear real fur coats that were donated to the humane society, Welch said. To make the costumes even more believable, the furs are stored in sealed containers with hay sourced from a local wildlife sanctuary that also houses bears. She said the hay helps the furs have a black bear scent. 'Now, we don't know if he looks at us as like surrogate mamas,' she said. 'I feel like it's more like we are his playmates, like his siblings, that are coming in and if he does want to play with us, we redirect him to his teddy bears.' Along with teddy bears, the cub's enclosure is also filled with donated furs, black bear-scented hay, trees and plenty of places for him to climb and hide to simulate a den, Welch said. The cub sleeps on and hides under one of the larger teddy bears, which Welch thinks he sees as his mother. 'This large teddy bear was something that provided him comfort,' Welch said. 'When we were not there, he would seek shelter by her, go rest against her, take naps all cuddled up with the bear.' The caregivers use their time in the cub's enclosure to teach him skills that his mother would have taught him, like how to climb, how to find grasses and insects to eat and how to build a nest, Welch said. 'It's been wonderful to see him hit various milestones,' she said. 'I remember the first time he ate a bug, he dug through the dirt and picked out a beetle and ate it, which was great.' The staff at the San Diego Humane Society isn't the first to suit up to take care of orphaned wildlife. Employees at the Richmond Wildlife Center in Virginia wore a fox mask while caring for an orphaned kit. At the Wildlife Midlands Centre in South Africa, an employee used a makeshift crane costume to teach an orphaned chick how to drink water. Welch said wearing a mask to take care of young wildlife is a strategy that they've used when bottle feeding baby raccoons and coyote pups. She said it's important since young wildlife is very impressionable. Since they have never cared for such a young bear, they had to order supplies, including the bear masks. Welch estimates it will cost $72,000 to take care of the cub for a year. 'It's a labor of love,' she said. 'We are happy to help these animals and get them back out and someday see him thrive in the wild — it's going to be the best thing ever.'

Fox cub freed from drainpipe firmly stuck on head

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Farm day visitors warned over Cryptosporidium parasite threat

Orphaned bear cub cared for by humans dressed up as bears

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Fox cub freed from drainpipe firmly stuck on head

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Farm day visitors warned over Cryptosporidium parasite threat

Orphaned bear cub cared for by humans dressed up as bears

Orphaned bear cub cared for by humans dressed up as bears

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