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News & Reports charities

Charity hospital opens its virtual doors THE RSPCA is offering its supporters the chance to take a virtual tour of its new rehoming centre and animal hospital at Newbrook Farm in Birmingham, after the building became one of the first of its kind to welcome in Google’s Street View cameras. The charity says that the animal hospital is believed to be the first in the world to have opened its virtual doors in such a way. Visitors can tour the corridors, treatment rooms and rehoming sections in the building without leaving their own homes, although the charity hopes that the virtual tour will lead to more people visiting the facility in person. ‘We hope it will especially encourage those thinking of adopting an animal to come and see the animals and facilities first hand,’ said Rebecca Willby, the hospital’s director. ‘By going behind the scenes it provides a transparent view of the excellent standards of equipment and care that the animals experience.’ The animal treatment areas and wards at the facility are not normally open to the public, so the virtual tour allows people to see what goes on behind the scenes. The idea for inviting in the cameras came from Alan Moynihan, a member of the RSPCA’s IT department, who was

inspired by a virtual tour of HMS Ocelot, a decommissioned Royal Navy submarine, which is now located in the River Medway near Gillingham. ‘It seeded an idea about our animal hospitals and centres, which are fascinating places and one of the key public touchpoints for our supporters,’ he said. ‘The new flagship site at Newbrook Farm just jumped out as the ideal candidate

where we could offer the public a great opportunity to have a look behind the scenes.’ The virtual tour of the hospital can be taken at http://goo.gl/qx2d3V, while a virtual tour of the rehoming centre is available at http://goo.gl/zZ0hNP doi: 10.1136/vr.g3084

May 10, 2014 | Veterinary Record | 473

Downloaded from http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/ on June 1, 2015 - Published by group.bmj.com

Charity hospital opens its virtual doors

Veterinary Record 2014 174: 473

doi: 10.1136/vr.g3084 Updated information and services can be found at: http://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/174/19/473

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Charity hospital opens its virtual doors.

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