Zoo flamingo breeding delayed by dry spring
The start of a zoo's flamingo breeding season has been delayed for the longest time on record by dry spring weather.
Blackpool Zoo said it had shipped in four tonnes of sand to encourage the birds to construct their nests but it was only since the rain had returned that they had begun building.
The nests, which are mounds made of sand and water, need to be located where they can stay wet as the flamingos continually build them throughout the incubation period.
Keepers said it was "a sight to behold" when the birds finally began nesting and once the "most confident flamingo" decides to lay an egg the rest follow.
Luke Forster from the zoo, said Caribbean flamingos were very social birds known for their "elaborate" nesting behaviours.
"They build their nests in large colonies, carefully shaping the mounds to protect their eggs, which are incubated by both and male and female birds," he said.
"Both genders also produce crop milk to feed the chicks once they have hatched and, in some cases, pairs of the same sex will take on the responsibility of incubating and raising a chick, even if the egg isn't theirs."
When the chicks hatch they will have grey-white down and a straight beak.
They develop their pink colour over a few years as they consume foods rich in the carotenoid pigments that make some plants, algae and crustaceans red, orange, pink and yellow.
Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Blackpool-born gorilla starts new life in India
Zoo's delight at birth of endangered orangutan
Blackpool's tourist numbers on the rise
Pelican rescued after being found 65 miles from zoo
Blackpool Zoo
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
4 hours ago
- Associated Press
Iksuda Therapeutics Receives FDA IND Clearance for IKS014
NEWCASTLE, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 30, 2025-- Iksuda Therapeutics (Iksuda), the developer of class-leading antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) with clinically validated tumour-selective payload release formats, today announces that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared its Investigational New Drug (IND) application for IKS014, a human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) ADC targeting patients with advanced HER2+ solid tumours, enabling the expansion of ongoing clinical trials. IKS014 is currently being investigated in an open-label phase 1 dose-escalation study ( ) designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of increasing dose levels of IKS014 and establish a recommended phase 2 dose. Preliminary data from this study has demonstrated promising clinical activity across multiple tumour types, including breast, ovarian, gallbladder, and oesophageal cancers, and including patients who have relapsed after prior treatment with Enhertu. Gaining access to U.S. centres for the dose expansion stage of this phase 1 trial will enable efficient confirmation of the role of IKS014 in this important patient sub-set. Dr Dave Simpson, Chief Executive Officer, Iksuda Therapeutics, said: 'The FDA clearance of our IND application for IKS014 represents a significant milestone in our mission to address the critical unmet needs of patients with HER2-positive cancers, particularly those who have exhausted current standard-of-care options. Early clinical data has been extremely encouraging, and we are excited to expand our program to reach more patients. 'The early efficacy signals that have been observed, particularly in patients that have relapsed after receiving prior treatments of Kadcyla and Enhertu, suggest IKS014 could potentially offer a new treatment option for patients who currently have limited alternatives. We look forward to working with our clinical partners to further evaluate the potential of IKS014.' The first stage of this phase 1 trial, to determine the recommended phase 2 dose for dose expansion, is nearing completion. The expansion phase will assess several patient cohorts including those with HER2-positive breast cancer who are refractory to or cannot tolerate Enhertu, patients with HER2-low breast cancer and patients with HER2-positive positive gastric cancer. The IND clearance will allow Iksuda to access patients across sites in the United States, alongside sites in Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. The phase 1 trial is expected to complete in 2H 2026. About IKS014 IKS014 is a potential best-in-class antibody drug conjugate, benefiting from tumour selective activation and release of the cytotoxic agent monomethyl auristatin F (MMAF). In preclinical trials, it displayed impressive activity in high- and low-HER2 expressing tumours with a favourable Therapeutic Index vs other HER2-directed drugs. Iksuda gained exclusive world-wide rights (excluding Greater China and South Korea) to IKS014 from LigaChem Biosciences ( ). About Iksuda Therapeutics: Iksuda Therapeutics is a clinical stage, UK-based biotechnology company focussed on the development of class leading antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) targeting difficult-to-treat haematological and solid tumours. Iksuda's pipeline of ADCs is centred on a portfolio of prodrug DNA and protein alkylating payloads in combination with stable conjugation chemistries including its proprietary PermaLink ® platform. The Company's design concepts for ADCs are now clinically validated to significantly improve the therapeutic index of this important modality and improve the outcomes for patients living with cancer. View source version on CONTACT: For further information please contact: Iksuda Therapeutics Dave Simpson, Chief Executive Officer Tel: +44 (0) 191 6031680 [email protected] Consulting (Financial Media and IR) Simon Conway / Rob Winder / Amy Byrne Tel: +44 (0) 020 3727 1000 [email protected] KEYWORD: NORTH AMERICA UNITED STATES IRELAND UNITED KINGDOM EUROPE MASSACHUSETTS INDUSTRY KEYWORD: SCIENCE BIOTECHNOLOGY RESEARCH PHARMACEUTICAL ONCOLOGY HEALTH FDA CLINICAL TRIALS SOURCE: Iksuda Therapeutics Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 06/30/2025 08:00 PM/DISC: 06/30/2025 08:00 PM
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Girls and black children face inequalities in transplant treatment, study shows
Sick girls are less likely to be put on the kidney transplant waiting list compared to boys, according to analysis. Academics found that some children in need of a kidney transplant are facing inequalities in their care. Black children are less likely to be put on the transplant waiting list, as are those from more deprived backgrounds, researchers from the University of Bristol found. There are currently 137 children aged 17 and under on the kidney transplant waiting list in the UK. Researchers set out to examine whether inequalities exist in access to kidney transplantation among children in the UK by analysing the UK Renal Registry and NHS Blood and Transplant data between 1996 and 2020. They found that girls were 12% less likely to be put on a transplant waiting list compared to boys. Children from the poorest backgrounds were 33% less likely to be put on the waiting list compared to those from the wealthiest. And black children were 19% less likely to be put on the waiting list compared to their white peers. Once children are on the waiting list, the disparities related to gender and income appeared to reduce, but disadvantages for black children persisted. 'We were particularly struck by how early these disparities appear in the transplant process,' said Dr Alice James, lead author of the study. 'It's not just about who gets a transplant, but who even gets considered in the first place. 'Those from black ethnic backgrounds face systemic disadvantages even after being placed on the waitlist, including fewer living donor opportunities.' When looking at kidney transplants given by a living donor within two years of being on the waiting list, the odds of getting a transplant are lower among those from poorer backgrounds and children of black or Asian ethnicity, according to the study, which has been presented to the ESOT (European Society for Organ Transplantation) Congress 2025. Dr James added: 'It is notable – and particularly disquieting – that such disparities are evident even in a paediatric population within a universal healthcare system like the NHS. 'The persistent disadvantage faced by children from black ethnic backgrounds even after wait-listing is especially striking, suggesting systemic or cultural barriers that extend beyond access alone.' On gender inequalities seen in the study, she added: 'The gender disparity in wait-listing, with girls being less likely to be wait-listed, may reflect implicit gender biases in clinical decision-making, differences in parental advocacy, or variation in disease presentation and severity between sexes. 'There may also be social factors influencing clinicians' assumptions about transplant suitability or family engagement in the transplantation process. 'While evidence is limited in paediatric populations, adult studies suggest that women are often perceived as less suitable candidates due to comorbidities or psychosocial factors— perceptions that may inadvertently extend to female children.' Fiona Loud, policy director at Kidney Care UK, said: 'This research is shocking and it's not good enough to see such heartbreaking inequalities so early in life. 'There are around 1,000 children receiving kidney replacement therapy via either dialysis or transplant in the UK. 'This is a relatively small number which should mean we have a real opportunity to change this and make sure we improve things for the future for children and young people. 'But right now it is very hard for families whose children have kidney failure. 'More work needs to be done to explore local barriers and raise awareness of the value and importance of living kidney donation through personalised and community education programmes.' Professor Derek Manas, medical director for organ and tissue donation at NHS Blood and Transplant, which is responsible for allocating organs to people on the list, said: 'These results will help hospital clinical teams across the UK to further understand and mitigate this issue. 'NHS Blood and Transplant does not decide which individual patients are added to the transplant waiting list, but we do manage how organs are allocated to patients and the research found that once patients are on the waiting list, they had equitable access to donations, irrespective of ethnicity or deprivation. 'The transplant community has come a long way in ensuring equity once listed but this study confirms we all have more to do. 'Kidneys also need to be matched and people from the same ethnicity are more likely to be a match. 'There are currently not enough donors from black and Asian backgrounds and we urge people to show their support for donation on the NHS Organ Donor Register and to tell their families they want to donate.' An NHS England spokesperson said: 'The decision to place somebody on the transplant list should never be affected by their gender, ethnicity or family income and this analysis is a stark reminder that, whilst we have made progress on tackling health inequalities, much remains to be done – and this will be at the heart of the 10 Year Health Plan. 'More widely, we know kidney failure disproportionately impacts people from Black African and Black Caribbean heritage so we would always encourage more donors from these backgrounds to come forward, and we have recently launched a new simple genetic blood test for these groups to help reduce the risk of kidney failure.'
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Hundreds of reactions and multiple deaths linked to weight-loss jabs
Hundreds of people have reported problems with their pancreas linked to taking weight loss and diabetes jabs, prompting health officials to launch a new study into side effects. Some cases of pancreatitis reported to be linked to GLP-1 medicines (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists) have been fatal. Data from the medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), shows that since the drugs were licensed there have been hundreds of cases of acute and chronic pancreatitis among people taking GLP-1 medicines. This includes: READ MORE: Government says stock up on nine emergency items as war risk increases READ MORE: Emergency alert to be sent to every UK mobile phone 181 reported cases of acute and chronic pancreatitis linked to tirzepatide – the active ingredient for Mounjaro. Five people died. 116 reported reactions of this kind linked to liraglutide, one of which was fatal. 113 cases of acute and chronic pancreatitis linked to semaglutide – the active ingredient for Ozempic and Wegovy. One person died. 101 reported reactions of this kind linked to exenatide, three people died. 52 reported reactions of this sort linked to dulaglutide and 11 reported reactions lixisenatide. No fatalities were linked to either drug. These cases are not confirmed as being caused by the medicines, but the person who reported them suspected they may be. Nonetheless, Yellow Card Biobank project, launched by the MHRA and Genomics England, will see researchers examine whether cases of pancreatitis linked to GLP-1 drugs may be influenced by peoples genetic makeup. The MHRA is calling for people who are taking GLP-1 medicine who have been admitted to hospital due to acute pancreatitis to submit a report to its Yellow Card scheme. When a Yellow Card report is received, the MHRA will contact patients to ask if they would be willing to take part in the study. Patients will be asked to submit more information and a saliva sample which will be assessed to explore whether some people are at a higher risk of acute pancreatitis when taking these medicines due to their genes. GLP-1 agonists can lower blood sugar levels in people living with type 2 diabetes and can also be prescribed to support some people with weight loss. Recent estimates suggest that about 1.5 million people in the UK are taking weight loss jabs. Health officials have suggested that they can help to turn the tide on obesity, but have stressed they are not a silver bullet and do come with side effects. Most side effects linked to the jabs are gastrointestinal including nausea, constipation and diarrhoea. And the medical regulator recently warned that Mounjaro may make the oral contraceptive pill less effective in some patients. Dr Alison Cave, MHRA's chief safety officer, said: 'Evidence shows that almost a third of side effects to medicines could be prevented with the introduction of genetic testing, it is predicted that adverse drug reactions could cost the NHS more than £2.2 billion a year in hospital stays alone. 'Information from the Yellow Card Biobank will help us to better predict those most at risk of adverse reactions – enabling patients across the UK to receive the safest medicine for them, based on their genetic makeup. To help us help you, we're asking anyone who has been hospitalised with acute pancreatitis while taking a GLP-1 medicine to report this to us via our Yellow Card scheme. 'Even if you don't meet the criteria for this phase of the Biobank study, information about your reaction to a medication is always extremely valuable in helping to improve patient safety.' Professor Matt Brown, chief scientific officer of Genomics England, said: 'GLP-1 medicines like Ozempic and Wegovy have been making headlines, but like all medicines there can be a risk of serious side effects. We believe there is real potential to minimise these with many adverse reactions having a genetic cause. 'This next step in our partnership with the MHRA will generate data and evidence for safer and more effective treatment through more personalised approaches to prescription, supporting a shift towards an increasingly prevention-focused healthcare system.' Both Eli Lilly, which makes Mounjaro, and Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, have been approached for comment.
