Faculty of Health Sciences

Pet rabbits need freedom to exercise, study finds

Pet rabbits have higher levels of the stress hormone - corticosterone - and show activity rebound when kept in small hutches with restricted exercise, new research led by the University of Bristol Vet School has found. The research, funded by the RSPCA, highlights the importance that pairs of pet rabbits should have the freedom to exercise outside their home enclosure even when they are kept in hutches larger than the traditional size.

Child asthma deaths linked to air pollution, new report finds

Of the 54 children who died of asthma between 2019 and 2023, more than 90 per cent were exposed to air pollution levels above World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, according to a new report published today [12 December] by the University of Bristol’s National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) team. The report uses the NCMD’s unique data on all child deaths in England to examine deaths due to asthma or anaphylaxis between April 2019 and March 2023.