November 21, 2006

Editorial: Could Simplified Regulations Help Reduce Deer Herd?
The Tomah Journal
20 Nov 2006
Photo Courtesy of MiningGazette.com

The Legislative Audit Bureau has reviewed the Department of Natural Resource’s attempt to shrink the deer herd in the area where Chronic Wasting Disease was first discovered, and the bureau isn’t impressed. Despite $32.3 million and 58 full-time staff, hunters are killing fewer deer, and the herd is getting bigger.

Is it all the DNR’s fault? No. However, the DNR should review the experience in the CWD zone and ponder whether simpler hunting rules would be effective in culling the herd statewide. First, a partial defense of the DNR. CWD first broke out in western Dane County, an increasingly suburbanized and subdivided area of the state. It’s hard enough controlling the herd where farms and fields predominate; it’s even more difficult where residential properties and posted land overwhelm the landscape.





FAO Center to Rapidly Respond to Disease Outbreaks
American Veterinary Medical Association - JAVMA News
17 Nov 2006

The Food and Agriculture Organization established a Crisis Management Centre at its Rome headquarters to respond to avian influenza outbreaks and other major animal health or food health emergencies. "The CMC represents a (substantial) leap forward in FAO's ability to help member nations prevent and cope with disease outbreaks," said Dr. Jacques Diouf, FAO director-general, in a statement. The center is set up in collaboration with the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE).

The CMC operates around the clock, seven days a week, with a staff of up to 15 experts and veterinarians. Disease information is monitored and updated from around the globe continuously. When a suspected outbreak is reported, CMC can dispatch its experts to any "hot spot" in the world in under 48 hours, according to FAO.




Tasmanian Devils Exported to Save Species [TV Program Transcript]
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
20 Nov 2006

Tasmania is pressing ahead with plans to export 24 Tasmanian devils to zoos around the country in a bid to guarantee the species' survival. The world's largest surviving marsupial predator faces the threat of extinction from a deadly contagious disease characterised by grotesque facial tumours that's already wiped out almost 40 per cent of the wild population. But, in a devastating blow to wildlife managers, the disease has been detected in three captive bred mammals at a wildlife park. Jocelyn Nettlefold reports.




North Dakota Legislator Expects Lively Debate on Proposal to Ban Private Hunting Preserves
The Associated Press (Posted by BostonHerald.com)
21 Nov 2006

More than a month before North Dakota’s legislature starts, landowners and wildlife advocates already are locking horns over a proposal to ban private hunting preserves, known as high-fence game farms. State Sen. Tim Mathern, D-Fargo, said he plans to bring a bill to the 2007 session that would prohibit landowners from operating businesses that allow hunters to shoot elk and deer inside a fenced area.

“I can see that this is going be really controversial,” Mathern said. “I had no idea it was that big of a business activity.” More than 100 deer and elk farms are registered in North Dakota, state veterinarian Susan Keller said. Private game farms have been banned in several states, including Montana and Wyoming.




Rabid Raccoon Removed from Potomac Residence: Officials Advise Caution in Dealing with Wild Animals Found in Residential Areas
The Almanac (Posted by The Connection Newspapers)
20 Nov 2006
Aaron Stern
Photo Courtesy of The Connection Newspapers

A raccoon was removed from the backyard of a home on Stable Lane in the River Falls neighborhood of Potomac on Saturday, Nov. 11, with the suspicion that it had rabies. That suspicion was confirmed through testing by the Montgomery County Animal Services department and the animal has subsequently been euthanized.

“My dog was out back barking and I saw [the raccoon]", said Gary Gilbert, in whose backyard the raccoon was found. “So I brought my dog in and left for the afternoon because I figured it would go away.” By the time Gilbert returned home the raccoon had not left. “I went out and observed it and it just didn’t look right, it looked sick.





Wildlife Disease Related Journal Articles

Live Nativity and Brucellosis, Sicily [Letter] (CDC - Emerging Infectious Diseases)

International Attention for Zoonotic Infections (CDC - Emerging Infectious Diseases)

at Tuesday, November 21, 2006

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