Massive Duck Die-Off
Record-Bee.com
23 Jan 2007
Tiffany Revelle
Photo courtesy of Tiffany Revelle

Another duck die-off hit the waters of Clear Lake this weekend, claiming 1,145 waterfowl as of 4 p.m. Experts are tentatively saying avian cholera is the culprit this time, pending lab confirmation. Avian cholera affects birds so quickly that they have been known to sometimes literally drop out of the sky or die while swimming, according to the National Wildlife Health Center. Approximately 40 percent of the affected birds die; those who don't become carriers.

According to Record-Bee outdoor columnist Terry Knight, although all waterfowl are susceptible, the ruddy duck is Clear Lake's most common carrier. Approximately 3,000 ruddy ducks winter on Clear Lake, he added, which can easily turn into more than 10,000 in a matter of days. Almost 230 dead ducks were picked up this weekend by the Department of Fish & Game, with some help from local residents. The birds, all ruddy ducks, washed up on the shoreline stretching along Highway 20 between Nice and Lucerne.

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Kenya: Alert as Virus Leaps over Buffer Zone
The Nation (Posted by allafrica.com)
22 Jan 2007
Gatonye Gathura

The virus causing Rift Valley Fever has outmanoeuvred local and international experts, vaulting over a buffer between North Eastern and Coast provinces to land in Maragua, Central province, for the first time. This has created fear that the killer bug could be headed for Nairobi. The buffer was created by the ministry of Livestock Development, with help from World Health Organisation (WHO) and Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). It aimed at vaccinating two million animals while maintaining zero contact with livestock from other parts of the country.

The jump could see the number of animals to be vaccinated increasing dramatically, and possibly overwhelming available capacity. ...But the virus met little organised resistance and went ahead to claim over 100 human lives, scores of livestock and wildlife. It is feared the fever could spread to Juba valley in the Sudan, triggering a major food crisis in the region. What happens next is also predictable, the bug will soon go into hiding -it is not clear where to - but it will come back in three to seven years.

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No Rule Changes for Now: Commission Wants More Discussion About Issues
StatesmanJournal.com
22 Jan 2007

Members of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission voted unanimously to deny three petitions to change elk-ranching rules for the state. The consensus was that the issues surrounding the commercial ranching of elk need more discussion before such petitions could be considered. "We are fortunate in Oregon to have clean wild and farmed populations as far as elk are concerned," said Zane Smith, a commission member from Springfield. "There are a number of issues that I feel need more consideration before we trigger rule-making."

The seven members asked biologists and other officials with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to come back at the February commission meeting with recommendations. Among the issues they were told to consider are the affects of any rule changes, the groups affected by any changes, and a time frame for them to draft and present any recommended rules. Those who commented about the petitions at the January commission meeting in Salem ranged from elk ranchers, who filed a last-minute petition of their own, to members of the group that submitted the two positions opposed to elk ranching. That group, the MAD-Elk Coalition, includes Oregon Hunters Association, Humane Society U.S., and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.

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Bird Deaths at Sukhna Give Forest Dept Test-ing Time
Ludhiana Newsline (Posted by cities.expressindia.com)
22 Jan 2007

Blood, faeces samples sent for tests; officials say possibility of Avian Flu ‘weak’

The death of nine migratory birds in the past week at Sukhna Lake has sent the UT forest and wildlife department on a hunt for clues. Officials said the department today took blood and faecal samples of migratory birds at the lake to test the possibility of Avian Flu resulting in the deaths. Ishwar Singh, the chief wildlife warden and UT Environment department director, said blood and faecal samples were of Brahmni duck, or Ruddy shell duck, were collected on Sunday morning. More samples would be collected in the coming days, he said.

All nine carcasses recovered from the lake have been sent to the Bhopal-based Animal Diseases Diagnostic Laboratory, the high-security lab authorised by the Centre conduct Avian Flu tests. Blood samples, meanwhile, have been sent to the Regional Diagnostic Laboratory, Jalandhar, and officials said they would be later sent forward to the Bhopal laboratory. The test results are expected by next week. Ishwar Singh said the first four deaths occurred at Sukhna Lake last Sunday, followed by recovery of another five dead birds over the week.

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Victory for Birds, Wildlife and Kids - EPA to Put Limits on Toxic Rat Poisons
abcbirds.org
17 Jan 2007

In a decision applauded by conservationists, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today published in the Federal Register its proposed mitigation plan for rat poisons that should greatly reduce accidental poisonings of birds and other wildlife. Specifically, EPA will make three of the nine rodenticides restricted use pesticides, which means only certified pesticide applicators can use the chemicals and all over-the-counter sales of the non-restricted rodenticides will now have to be in tamper resistant bait stations. “This is an important victory for kids and birds like eagles and hawks,” said Dr. Michael Fry, Director of American Bird Conservancy’s (ABC) Pesticides and Birds Program. “Over the years thousands of birds of prey, including Golden and Bald Eagles, have been killed as a result of eating dead or dying rodents that have been carelessly poisoned.

The new regulations will limit the indiscriminate use of these highly toxic chemicals, and the tamper resistant bait stations will also help prevent up to 15,000 poisonings of children each year.” ABC, Defenders of Wildlife, the National Pesticides Reform Coalition and other conservation groups have been pressuring the EPA for years to address the threats to wildlife and human health. In 1998, the EPA initiated a special review that has led to today’s mitigation plan. The three highly toxic pesticides that will no longer be available over the counter are brodifacoum, bromodialone, and difethialone, which have the greatest potential for poisoning wild birds and scavenging mammals as a result of eating poisoned rodents. These will become “restricted use only” and will be available only to certified pest control operators.

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>>>Related Article
Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 10 / Wednesday, January 17, 2007 / Notices [PDF]

Journal Articles of Interest
Vaccination of Small Asian Mongoose (Herpestes javanicus) Against Rabies.
Journal of Wildlife Disease. 2006 Jul;42(3):663-6.
JD Blanton
Retrospective Investigation of Chronic Wasting Disease of Cervids at the Toronto Zoo, 1973-2003.
Canadian Veterinary Journal. 2006 Dec;47(12):1185-93.
C Dube