大象传媒

It is the height of spring in the Mourne Mountains. This morning, local vet Jennie is on the road, heading to a friend鈥檚 farm just a mile from where she grew up. A young calf has developed a serious limp, and farmer Kyle is hoping Jennie can find out what is wrong. The calf鈥檚 protective mother is making it clear she wants her baby back, and Jennie does not want to distress her, so she has to work fast.

Ten miles to the north of the Mourne Mountains is Castle Vets, the largest practice in the area. Vet Darren has been working here since he graduated two years ago. The rush of farmwork in springtime is the perfect opportunity for him to gain more valuable experience. This morning, he is treating a two-day-old lamb. Her owner Eamon thinks she has a urinary infection, but when she happily relieves herself all over Darren鈥檚 examination table, he has to use all his investigative skills to diagnose the real problem.

Over in Downpatrick, vet Jennie is back in the clinic and examining Beau, a retired show chicken. It is a prestigious orpington breed but has been brought in by owner Rodney after she collapsed.

Maurice King, the founder of the Downe Veterinary Clinic, is taking the ferry across Strangford Lough to meet a rare and exotic visitor to the area - a loggerhead turtle has been rescued by the local sea life sanctuary. The turtle鈥檚 natural habitat is in the Sargasso Sea, but it is believed he may have drifted on the Gulf Stream for hundreds of miles before getting stranded on the Ulster coast. For Maurice, it is another wonder of life as a vet in the Mountains of Mourne.