Botulism is Killing Migratory Birds in Lake Michigan
StarTribune.com
24 Oct 2006
Tom Meersman
The die-off of loons, grebes, cormorants and other migrating birds is linked to invasive species of mussels and fish in the Great Lakes.
Hundreds of loons, grebes, mergansers, cormorants and other migrating birds have been killed in Lake Michigan recently, most likely from bacteria linked to non-native fish and mussels.
Biologists at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore estimated this week that 2,600 dead birds have washed up on beaches during the past two months. It is the first large-scale bird die-off in Lake Michigan in decades.
"I've worked here for almost 30 years and I've never seen anything like it," said Steve Yancho, chief of natural resources at the park's office in Empire, Mich. He said the cause of the deaths seems to be Type E botulism, which occurs naturally in the sediment of the lake, but rarely enters the food chain.
>>>FULL ARTICLE
Bird Flu May Return to Europe in Coming Weeks, UN Agency Says
Bloomberg.com
25 Oct 2006
Gason Gale
Bird flu may return to Europe in the coming weeks, spread by wild ducks, swans and geese carrying the lethal virus south from their Arctic mating grounds. Twenty-six European nations reported initial infections of the H5N1 avian influenza strain in poultry or wild birds in late 2005 and early 2006 after a severe winter in Russia and the Caucasus area pushed migratory birds south and westward.
The Food and Agriculture Organization said a resurgence of H5N1 in China and Russia indicates the pattern may be repeated. ``It is possible that a similar situation could occur in the approaching weeks with the migratory movement of wild birds from their northern breeding grounds,'' the United Nations agency said in the October edition of a newsletter published on its Web site.
``Eastern Europe and Caucasus region is at particularly high risk'' because of the higher density of backyard poultry there. Diseased birds increase the opportunities for human infection and provide chances for H5N1 to change into a form more dangerous to people.
>>>FULL ARTICLE
Macaws Face Possible Extinction
Science Daily
24 Oct 2006
A U.S. bird expert says one of the world's most colorful birds -- the macaw, the largest member of the parrot family -- is in danger of becoming extinct. The number of macaws has been declining during recent decades and Don Brightsmith at Texas A&M University's Schubot Exotic Bird Center is studying ways to make sure macaws will not become just photographs in a book one day.
Brightsmith says there are 17 species of macaws, and of those, one is extinct, another has become extinct in the wild and seven other species are endangered. There are several reasons for their declining numbers. The birds are highly prized by the pet trade industry and they are losing their native habitat due to construction and other factors.
Also, some South American natives kill them either for food or for their bright feathers. But little is known about macaws, except that they are highly intelligent creatures and can live up to 50 years. Macaws can also be affectionate birds. "It's believed they are very sensitive to human emotions," he added.
>>>FULL ARTICLE
USDA Prohibits Imports From Two Canadian Provinces and Interstate Movements From Eight States or Fish Susceptible to Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia [Press Release]
United States Department of Agriculture - Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
24 Oct 2006
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued an emergency order today prohibiting the importation of certain species of live fish from two Canadian provinces into the United States and the interstate movement of the same species from the eight states bordering the Great Lakes due to outbreaks of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS).
This action is in response to the rapid spread of VHS in the Great Lakes region and the potential impact on a growing number of fish species. VHS is a destructive pathogen that produces clinical signs in fish including internal hemorrhaging and death. The disease does not pose a risk to people, but it has been found to affect a number of fish species previously not known to be susceptible including baitfish species, Coho salmon and channel catfish.
In addition to prohibiting the importation of certain species of live fish from Ontario and Quebec, Canada, the interstate movement of these species will also be prohibited from New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
>>>FULL PRESS RELEASE
Polar Bear Likely had West Nile Virus
TheStar.com
25 Oct 2006
Joseph Hall
The Toronto Zoo's largest carnivore was likely felled by a mosquito and the lethal West Nile virus it carried, zoo veterinarians believe. If confirmed, they think it would be the first known case of a polar bear contracting the ailment.
Kunik, one of two polar bears on display at the zoo, began having trouble using his hind legs Sept. 19 and was put down for humane reasons two days later. One of the facility's most popular attractions for a quarter-century, the 1,200-lb. (545-kilogram) bear underwent a post-mortem examination at the Ontario Veterinary College.
"It sure looks like (West Nile) right now," says zoo vet Jean Paré. "It's certainly rare in polar bears, we've never seen it before that's for sure." The 26-year-old bear was euthanized Sept. 21 after its back legs became paralyzed, likely as a result of encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain, caused by the virus.
>>>FULL ARTICLE
StarTribune.com
24 Oct 2006
Tom Meersman
The die-off of loons, grebes, cormorants and other migrating birds is linked to invasive species of mussels and fish in the Great Lakes.
Hundreds of loons, grebes, mergansers, cormorants and other migrating birds have been killed in Lake Michigan recently, most likely from bacteria linked to non-native fish and mussels.
Biologists at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore estimated this week that 2,600 dead birds have washed up on beaches during the past two months. It is the first large-scale bird die-off in Lake Michigan in decades.
"I've worked here for almost 30 years and I've never seen anything like it," said Steve Yancho, chief of natural resources at the park's office in Empire, Mich. He said the cause of the deaths seems to be Type E botulism, which occurs naturally in the sediment of the lake, but rarely enters the food chain.
>>>FULL ARTICLE
Bird Flu May Return to Europe in Coming Weeks, UN Agency Says
Bloomberg.com
25 Oct 2006
Gason Gale
Bird flu may return to Europe in the coming weeks, spread by wild ducks, swans and geese carrying the lethal virus south from their Arctic mating grounds. Twenty-six European nations reported initial infections of the H5N1 avian influenza strain in poultry or wild birds in late 2005 and early 2006 after a severe winter in Russia and the Caucasus area pushed migratory birds south and westward.
The Food and Agriculture Organization said a resurgence of H5N1 in China and Russia indicates the pattern may be repeated. ``It is possible that a similar situation could occur in the approaching weeks with the migratory movement of wild birds from their northern breeding grounds,'' the United Nations agency said in the October edition of a newsletter published on its Web site.
``Eastern Europe and Caucasus region is at particularly high risk'' because of the higher density of backyard poultry there. Diseased birds increase the opportunities for human infection and provide chances for H5N1 to change into a form more dangerous to people.
>>>FULL ARTICLE
Macaws Face Possible Extinction
Science Daily
24 Oct 2006
A U.S. bird expert says one of the world's most colorful birds -- the macaw, the largest member of the parrot family -- is in danger of becoming extinct. The number of macaws has been declining during recent decades and Don Brightsmith at Texas A&M University's Schubot Exotic Bird Center is studying ways to make sure macaws will not become just photographs in a book one day.
Brightsmith says there are 17 species of macaws, and of those, one is extinct, another has become extinct in the wild and seven other species are endangered. There are several reasons for their declining numbers. The birds are highly prized by the pet trade industry and they are losing their native habitat due to construction and other factors.
Also, some South American natives kill them either for food or for their bright feathers. But little is known about macaws, except that they are highly intelligent creatures and can live up to 50 years. Macaws can also be affectionate birds. "It's believed they are very sensitive to human emotions," he added.
>>>FULL ARTICLE
USDA Prohibits Imports From Two Canadian Provinces and Interstate Movements From Eight States or Fish Susceptible to Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia [Press Release]
United States Department of Agriculture - Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
24 Oct 2006
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service issued an emergency order today prohibiting the importation of certain species of live fish from two Canadian provinces into the United States and the interstate movement of the same species from the eight states bordering the Great Lakes due to outbreaks of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS).
This action is in response to the rapid spread of VHS in the Great Lakes region and the potential impact on a growing number of fish species. VHS is a destructive pathogen that produces clinical signs in fish including internal hemorrhaging and death. The disease does not pose a risk to people, but it has been found to affect a number of fish species previously not known to be susceptible including baitfish species, Coho salmon and channel catfish.
In addition to prohibiting the importation of certain species of live fish from Ontario and Quebec, Canada, the interstate movement of these species will also be prohibited from New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
>>>FULL PRESS RELEASE
Polar Bear Likely had West Nile Virus
TheStar.com
25 Oct 2006
Joseph Hall
The Toronto Zoo's largest carnivore was likely felled by a mosquito and the lethal West Nile virus it carried, zoo veterinarians believe. If confirmed, they think it would be the first known case of a polar bear contracting the ailment.
Kunik, one of two polar bears on display at the zoo, began having trouble using his hind legs Sept. 19 and was put down for humane reasons two days later. One of the facility's most popular attractions for a quarter-century, the 1,200-lb. (545-kilogram) bear underwent a post-mortem examination at the Ontario Veterinary College.
"It sure looks like (West Nile) right now," says zoo vet Jean Paré. "It's certainly rare in polar bears, we've never seen it before that's for sure." The 26-year-old bear was euthanized Sept. 21 after its back legs became paralyzed, likely as a result of encephalitis, an inflammation of the brain, caused by the virus.
>>>FULL ARTICLE
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