Mystery Disease Killing Lions in India
The Associated Press (Posted by chron.com)
20 Sep 2006
Photo Courtesy of Associated Press

Nearly two dozen crossbred lions are slowly dying in northern India from a mysterious disease afflicting the hybrid offspring of Asiatic and African cats paired in a discontinued experimental program.

Zookeepers are mournfully watching the results of the program, which began in the late 1980s at the Chhatbir Zoo and was ended in 2002 after many of the nearly 80 crossbred lions were struck by a mysterious disease linked to inbreeding and a weakened gene pool, said Kuldip Kumar, Punjab state's conservator of forests and wildlife.

Wildlife officials had originally hoped the hybrid cats could be introduced into the wild in an effort to bolster India's endangered wild lion population. When the program ended, all of the male lions were given vasectomies to prevent further breeding, Kumar said.

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Toxic Mercury Contaminating More Species, Report Shows
The San Francisco Chronicle
20 Sep 2006
Jane Kay

Mercury pollution from power plants and other industrial sources has accumulated in birds, mammals and reptiles across the country, and only cuts in emissions can curtail the contamination, says a report released Tuesday by a national environmental group.

The report is the first major compilation of studies investigating mercury buildup in such wildlife as California clapper rails, Maine's bald eagles, Canadian loons and Florida panthers. In all, scientists working with the National Wildlife Federation found 65 studies showing troublesome mercury levels in 40 species.

"From songbirds to alligators, turtles to bats, eagles to polar bears, mercury is accumulating in nearly every link of the food chain,'' said Catherine Bowes, an author of the report who manages the federation's mercury program in the northeastern states.

>>>FULL ARTICLE
>>>Poisoning Wildlife: The Reality of Mercury Pollution - FULL REPORT



Guilford Rabies Cases Hit High
News-Record.com
20 Sep 2006
Joe Killian

Rabies infections in Guilford County are at a record high. With three new cases confirmed Tuesday, the total for 2006 stands at 27. That is the highest annual number for the county since it began keeping track in 1990. The previous record, set in 1998, was 25.

Pam Spence, health educator with the Guilford County Department of Public Health, said the county's rabies problem is at epidemic levels. "And what people don't realize is this is a skewed number," Spence said, noting confirmed cases only count those animals that were in contact with humans or pets. "In the wild animal population it's actually much worse."

The latest cases involved a number of pet dogs. A raccoon was found in the 3500 block of McKnight Mill Road in Greensboro. It had contact with one dog, which because it had not been vaccinated against the fatal disease, had to be euthanized.

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>>>MAP OF THIS YEAR'S RABIES CASES



More Virus-Positive Crows Confirmed
myKawartha.com
19 Sep 2006
Lauren Gilchrist

Three more crows have tested positive for West Nile Virus. The birds were found in Ennismore, Lakefield and Millbrook. Birds are no longer being accepted for testing. Health unit officials says it's clear the virus is widespread in the bird population throughout the City and County of Peterborough and the Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre has requested the local health unit not send any more birds for testing.

Adult mosquito trapping by the health unit staff will continue until Sept. 28. The adult mosquitoes are being tested for the virus. So far, only one pool of mosquitoes have tested positive for the virus.

The health unit recommends people continue to protect themselves against mosquito bites. Those measures include using insect repellant containing DEET, avoiding outdoor activities between dusk and dawn and wearing long sleeved clothing and pants.

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Police: Men Smuggled Monkeys in Pants; also Leopard Cubs, Orchids, Birds of Paradise
Court TV News
19 Sep 2006
Lisa Sweetingham
Photo Courtesy of Duke University Lemur Center

When the rare birds of paradise escaped from his suitcase and flew over the heads of U.S. Customs Agents at Los Angeles International Airport, Robert Cusack decided it was best to confess that, yes, he did have more to declare.

"I have monkeys in my pants," Cusack told the agents. Cusack, 49, had just gotten off a plane from Thailand and was immediately taken into custody. Two endangered slow loris pygmy monkeys were rescued from Cusack's underwear.

For attempting to smuggle four birds of paradise, two lorises and 50 rare orchids into the United States on June 13, 2002, Cusack served five and a half months in prison and paid $1,100 in fines.

>>>FULL ARTICLE