What is Wildlife Crime?
BBC News
19 Oct 2006
A new National Wildlife Crime Unit has been set up to target wildlife crime on a regional, national and international level. But what is it?
It's not about saving "fluffy bunny rabbits" but tackling an illegal billion-pound industry. That's how biodiversity minister Barry Gardiner describes the new National Wildlife Crime Unit. So what exactly is wildlife crime and why is it so important that a new multi-agency body has been set up to tackle it? Wildlife crime in the UK involves the illegal trade of endangered species and plants.
It not only threatens protected species in this country and globally, but also adds to the destruction of habitats. Anything from birds of prey to freshwater pearls are targeted by criminals in the UK. It also poses a health risk to domestic livestock and to the public through the introduction of disease. The UK has some of the most stringent wildlife controls anywhere in the world when it comes to this type of crime, but it still continues to cause serious concern.
It is difficult to put a figure on the money made from illegal wildlife trading, but the potential profits are vast. The international trade in endangered species is estimated to be worth up to £6bn, according to police figures. In the UK it is estimated to be worth up to £64m. Just one rhino horn can fetch £2,000 on the black market and a pair of Lear's Macaws £50,000.
Cow Infected by Seal Disease
The New Zealand Herald (Posted by nzherald.co.nz)
19 Oct 2006
A rare case of seal tuberculosis (TB) in a cow on Banks Peninsula has surprised Animal Health representatives. The disease was discovered in the young cow when it was slaughtered in autumn and found to have lesions, but further testing revealed it had originated from a seal. Canterbury and Marlborough Animal Health district disease co-ordinator Scott Loeffler said it was it was likely the cow would have encountered the seal in its paddock and sniffed it out of curiosity.
"Normally, adult seals are quite aggressive, but young ones are probably not so aggressive and young cattle are very curious so there's more chance of contact," he said. Mr Loeffler said in initial tests it appeared to be regular bovine TB, but it took further testing and a couple more months to discover it was seal TB. "In the meantime we put the farmer on movement control and tested the herd and checked for any contact with neighbours," he said.
Mr Loeffler said the seal version was less dangerous and couldn't be spread between cattle and movement control was lifted once the disease was identified. He said it was a rare situation and that such cases had only ever been discovered two other times -- in Hawke's Bay and on the Chatham Islands.
Deadly Virus Infecting Sturgeon at Hatchery
The Associated Press (Posted by helenair.com)
19 Oct 2006
About 4,000 pallid sturgeon at a captive breeding facility here are infected with a deadly virus that likely will halt this summer’s planned stocking effort in the Missouri River above the Fort Peck Dam, authorities say. The outbreak of iridovirus also affected about the same number of shovelnose sturgeon at the Bozeman Fish Technology Center, all of which either died or were euthanized, said Bill Krise, the center’s director. Krise said officials had hoped to release about 3,000 of the pallid sturgeon above Fort Peck Dam as part of a river-wide effort to increase the population of the rare, prehistoric fish that once roamed vast stretches of river bottoms.
But officials are not going to stock infected fish. ‘‘The virus is a serious problem,’’ said Jim Peterson, fish health coordinator for Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. ‘‘No one wants to stock infected fish.’’ Last year, about 5,000 young pallid sturgeon were put in the Missouri River in the hopes of bolstering its lagging population. Pallid sturgeon have been stocked routinely on either side of the Fort Peck Dam.
The population’s stronghold, around the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers, is estimated to number about 200 to 250 fish. Krise said the first hint of a problem was in an abnormally high number of dead shovelnose sturgeon started surfacing last month at the center, which is part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. ‘‘We usually have a few fish die every day,’’ he said Wednesday. ‘‘But when we have more than that, they we start to look. We look for some signs.’’
First Case of Human Rabies in Indiana Since 1959
WISH-TV (Posted by wishtv.com)
17 Oct 2006
For the first time since 1959, there's a human case of a rabies in Indiana. A 10-year-old in Marshall County was bitten by a bat in June and just recently started showing symptoms that led to encephalitis. The child is now in the hospital and doctors hope they've caught this case in time.
"Historically it's a near fatal disease and so it's always touch and go, but given treatment today we're hopeful that this individual is going to survive this case," said Dr. Judith Monroe, Indiana State Department of Health.
The health department says if you've been bitten by a bat or other wild animal you should go to the doctor and report it to the health department. The CDC has set up a phone line to answer questions about rabies, that number is 1-800-CDC-INFO.
Rabid Raccoons Prompt Warning
Tallahassee Democrat (Posted by tallahassee.com)
19 Oct 2006
Jeff Burlew
Leon County Animal Control is encouraging people to prevent rabies after two cases were found last week in raccoons. Since July, there have been 10 incidents where raccoons went into yards and had confrontations with dogs, said Richard Ziegler, Animal Control director. In three of the incidents, including the two last week, the raccoons had rabies. Hot, dry weather and limited food is causing raccoons to go beyond their normal feeding grounds, Ziegler said.
"And they tend to come across your pets, because there's food and water there," he said. The rabies virus, most often spread through the bite of an infected animal, attacks the central nervous system, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Human deaths from rabies are rare. The last time someone in Leon County was exposed to rabies was in 2005.
The person, bitten by a raccoon, was given shots and didn't develop the disease. Four incidents involving raccoons and dogs happened last week. Three were in the area of Old Bainbridge Road and Tharpe Street, and the other was near Bradfordville and Thomasville roads, Ziegler said. Aggressive behavior and drooling can be signs of the disease.
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