Rat Plague Threatens South Island Birds
Stuff
03 July 2006
Endangered birds in the South Island are under threat from a rat plague triggered by huge numbers of beech seed.
Department of Conservation Operation Ark co-ordinator Richard Suggate said the growing rat numbers were posing an immediate threat to endangered birds and bats.
"We are currently experiencing a 'super beech mast', following a high density and fertility of beech seed produced over summer across the South Island," Mr Suggate said. "The last time we had one of these at a similar level was in the double beech mast years of 2000 and 2001, which led (to) a huge explosion of pests.
"Large numbers of mohua and kakariki were lost out of many sites," he said. "We don't want that to happen again. We need to knock the rats down before the birds start breeding in the spring as they are extremely vulnerable when sitting on their nests."
Mr Suggate said control operations had recently started in four sites to protect yellowheads, orange-fronted parakeets and short-tailed bats over winter. Operation Ark was established in 2003 and has an annual budget of $1.2 million to manage ten sites in the South Island.
Birds, bats, stoats and rats will be monitored over the next six months to determine the success of the operations.
Devil's Lake Deer had Chronic Wasting Disease
Baraboo News Republic
03 July 2006
The Department of Natural Resources announced Friday that officials killed a deer testing positive for chronic wasting disease at Devil's Lake State Park in April. Park staff shot the deer because of its emaciated appearance, which is an indicator of CWD in the late stages.
Since 2002, 651 wild white-tailed deer have tested positive for the disease in Wisconsin. This is the seventh afflicted deer found in Sauk County. The next-closest CWD deer was a pair shot last fall near Merrimac, about five miles away from Devil's Lake.
"We are grateful that the park's staff recognized this deer as suspect for CWD and removed it from the landscape," said Alan Crossley, CWD project leader. "Checking deer for CWD is a very important part of our disease surveillance program."
Devil's Lake State Park is located in the CWD Herd Reduction Zone, which serves as a buffer between the CWD Eradication Zone and the rest of the state. Most CWD-positive deer have been detected in the DEZ, with the exception of 19 samples.
The deer found at Devil's Lake had its head hanging low and was easy to approach — both signs of CWD. The DNR encourages hunters to shoot sickly-looking deer, since they can receive a replacement tag for the animal and are able to continue hunting. Non-hunting citizens who spot deer with these symptoms are asked to contact the local DNR conservation warden or wildlife biologist.
Field Study Confirms Presence of Lyme Disease
The Winipeg Sun
30 June 2006
A field survey conducted in southeastern Manitoba has confirmed the presence of an established population of blacklegged ticks infected with the organism that causes Lyme disease.
The survey, conducted by the Public Health Agency of Canada in conjunction with Manitoba Health and Health Canada, was undertaken in spring 2006. Sampling was conducted in areas around Buffalo Bay which includes the village of Middlebro, a neighbouring wildlife refuge, the Buffalo Point area, and areas near Moose Lake and Birch Point provincial parks.
Blacklegged ticks have been found in the past in several locations within Manitoba. However, this is the first evidence of an established population in Manitoba. Ticks that transmit Lyme disease are also established in other parts of Canada including parts of southern Ontario, Nova Scotia and southern British Columbia.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection transmitted from infected blacklegged ticks (sometimes called deer ticks) to humans.
Avian Flu Case in Mongolia
Mongolia Web News
30 June 2006
Ulaanbaatar
US Embassy, Ulaanbaatar. Mongolia has reported one additional case of H5N1 Avian Influenza, in a wild whooper swan. The swan was found sick at Khunt Nuur, Saikhan Soum, on May 4 in Bulgan, a northern province, during surveillance activities by the Central Veterinary Laboratory. The Ministry of Food and Agriculture did an initial rapid test for H5 and sent a sample to the OIE reference laboratory at Hokkaido University in Tokyo for confirmation of H5N1.
This was confirmed on May 29. Active surveillance has been implemented in the western and central parts of Mongolia following the main flyways of migratory birds. A total of 182 samples have been collected from birds belonging to 27 different wild species. The Government of Mongolia (GOM) has quarantined the area and has found no further dead birds. There have been no human cases of avian influenza in Mongolia.
No comments:
Post a Comment