Something is Killing the Ducks in Raleigh's Pullen Park
Raleigh Chronicle
16 Aug 2006
Photo courtesy of Raleigh Chronicle
After several ducks died at Raleigh's popular Pullen Park, the city says it launched an investigation and autopsies on the ducks. The preliminary results seem to show that the ducks died from botulism, but the park service is still investigating. The park is located between Western Boulevard and Hillsborough Street.
There is probably no danger to humans from the situation, but park officials have closed the park's lake just to be safe including the paddle boat rentals for the lake.
On August 8th, the City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department says it discovered ducks becoming were becoming ill in Lake Howell located in Pullen Park. Over the next three days a total of eleven ducks died, says the city and an investigation into the cause of death was launched.
Breaks in Hibernation Help Fight Bugs
AAAS (Posted by EurekAlert!)
16 Aug 2006
A habit in some animals to periodically wake up while hibernating may be an evolutionary mechanism to fight bacterial infection, according to researchers at Penn State. The finding could offer an insight into the spread and emergence of infectious disease in wildlife, and has potential implications for human health.
Many warm-blooded animals slip into an inert sleep-like state as part of a unique strategy to get past harsh winters when food supplies are low and the need for energy to stay warm is high. The immune system is in sleep mode as well.
"The production of antibodies, and white blood cells is stopped. Basically all cell reproduction shuts off," says Angela Luis, a doctoral candidate in ecology at Penn State's Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics.
State Funds Animal Diagnostic Center at Cornell
North Country Gazette
15 Aug 2006
Capital funding totaling $50 million has been awarded by the state to Cornell University for the construction of a state-of-the-art Animal Diagnostic Center at the College of Veterinary Medicine. The new center will be a Biosafety Level-3 (BSL-3) capable facility and will consolidate Cornell's existing diagnostic facilities, which are located in 12 different buildings on campus and in the greater Ithaca area.
The $50 million in capital funding announced at Cornell University by Gov. George E. Pataki, will be used by New York's land grant university to construct a 126,000 gross square foot Animal Health Diagnostic Center (AHDC) at the university's College of Veterinary Medicine.
The new building will house Cornell's diagnostic programs, which have existed for 94 years, but are currently spread across 12 different buildings. In addition, the upgrade to Biosafety Level-3 (BSL-3) diagnostic and research capabilities will enable these programs to work on highly contagious disease agents like West Nile Virus, anthrax, and E. Coli, which will greatly enhance the safety and well-being of all New Yorkers.
Mystery Virus Wipes Out Flying Foxes
ABC News Online
16 Aug 2006
The skies around the Northern Territory town of Katherine have been clearer over the past 10 months, due to a mystery virus that is wiping out large numbers of native 'little red' flying foxes. While the mammal is considered a pest to farmers and townsfolk, the scientific community is concerned the ecological system will suffer from a 50 per cent reduction in flying fox numbers.
Andrew Pickering from Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife says no one knows what impact the fall in numbers will have. "There's possibly a roundworm and a virus, not knowing exactly what to pinpoint," he said.
"Flying foxes are actually a huge ecological benefit to the bush around here as pollinaters and seed distributors and so the loss of those big mega colonies that we typically have they can number up to hundreds of thousands have disappeared at least from the Katherine region."
State Ramping Up Avian Flu Testing: Migratory Birds will be Captured and Analyzed
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
16 Aug 2006
Charles Post
At first glance, Don Kraege and his team of biologists at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife would seem unlikely foot soldiers in the battle against pandemic flu.
But in the eyes of the White House and federal health officials, Kraege and his counterparts in Alaska, Idaho, California, Oregon and Hawaii are essential pieces in the nation's sprawling effort to minimize the damage from avian flu.
In coming days, Kraege and the Fish and Wildlife Department will ramp up efforts to capture and analyze migratory birds to determine whether the birds carry the H5N1 virus, which has been connected to a virulent form of flu that health officials are hoping to keep from spreading to this country.
Experts Prepare for Bird Flu: State Researchers are Taking Precautions with Fall Migration
Richmond Times-Dispatch
15 Aug 2006
A.J. Hostetler
With the threat of avian influenza's arrival this fall with migrating birds, Virginia researchers who study them are taking precautions to lessen their personal risk.
Ornithologists at the College of William and Mary began a year ago to implement U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service guidelines on bird flu into proposed research projects, said Dan Cristol, an expert on bird migration.
The precautions could increase sometime in the near future as birds begin migrating south this month and reach coastal Virginia. "The risk could change dramatically at any time," Cristol said. A case of avian flu could shut down research and educational opportunities, he added. "We don't take risks with the students."
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