Successful launch for wildlife show

West End stage star Connie Fisher was among more than 130 guests attending the University's screening of the new series of Rhys to the Rescue.

The BBC Wales programme follows wildlife expert and School of Biosciences Distinguished Visiting Fellow Dr Rhys Jones. The reptile expert, who took his undergraduate degree and his PhD at Cardiff, is frequently called on to help with endangered species across South Wales.

The first programme in the second series was show in the Julian Hodge Lecture Theatre. As well as Connie Fisher, winner of the BBC's How do you solve a problem like Maria?, the audience included representatives from South Wales Police, Army, BBC and local wildlife organisations.

The audience watched Dr Jones answer an emergency call to a 36 inch-long corn snake found in an Abertridwr bathroom. He was then shown investigating reports of big cats on the loose in rural South Wales.

Following the viewing of the episode, Dr Jones and PC Mark Goulding, South Wales Police Wildlife and Environmental Crime Officer, took questions from the audience, prompting an informative discussion on wildlife issues.

Dr Jones said: "The event involved colleagues at the School of Biosciences, members of the Museum, the Police and the different agencies, underlining how integral they have been to the making of this series. I also wanted to show my gratitude to everyone at the School who has supported me, particularly my supervisors Dr Jo Cable and Professor Mike Bruford."