Dead Ducks are Tested
Airdrie Echo
28 Feb 2007
B Hogemann
More than 80 dead mallards were found near Nose Creek at Country Hills Boulevard last week, but ongoing Alberta Sustainable Resource Development test results have confirmed that there is no evidence of the H5N1 avian bird flu strain.
According to Dave Ealey, a spokesperson for Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, the birds were found to have avian cholera, a bacterial disease which has been seen before in this area.
"It’s not the avian flu that people have concerns about," Ealey said. "It’s not a type of strain that typically affects mammals. "While we have found some avian bird flu in these birds," he added, "it’s the sort of flu we expect to find in these birds. It’s a virus that these birds carry that doesn’t (cause) a lot of problems for the birds." Of the 80 birds sent in for testing, only 41 were suitable, although most of the birds found were in good body condition.
Officials Urge Controlled Hunt in Parks
The Washington Times
28 Feb 2007
A Hudson
Key Democratic lawmakers are pushing legislation to allow hunting to cull elk herds and control a deadly animal disease inside national parks visited by millions of tourists a year. Rep. Mark Udall of Colorado introduced the legislation in the House last week to allow hunting in the Rocky Mountain National Park in his state, and Sen. Byron L. Dorgan of North Dakota will put forth a bill this week to allow hunting in his state's Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The lawmakers' plans are opposed by some who say hunting should be allowed on some federal lands but not in public parks.
"Three million park visitors don't want to be ducking bullets," said one National Park Service official who asked to remain anonymous. "Hunting should be allowed in forests and wildlife refuges, not in parks populated by millions of visitors." The National Park Service says it can no longer rely on relocating herds to other states to control the population because it could spread chronic wasting disease -- a transmissible neurological condition afflicting deer and elk that is similar to mad cow disease in cattle and scrapie in sheep.
House Curbs Wildlife Bill Before Passing It
The Associated Press (Posted by Charleston Daily Mail)
27 Feb 2007
The House of Delegates set limits on a proposed ban on baiting or feeding wildlife where the state Division of Natural Resources fears a possible disease outbreak. The House passed legislation to the Senate that would make it illegal to bait or feed in areas where DNR seeks to quarantine deer suspected of carrying chronic wasting disease. But the rules bill (HB2670) had also proposed to forbid the practice in DNR containment zones targeting other wildlife diseases, including bovine tuberculosis and avian influenza.
With two absences, delegates voted 64-33 to remove that language. "We were hoping to keep the language the way it was,'' DNR spokesman Hoy Murphy said Monday. "We really need to keep control of CWD, and we need this for these others too.'' DNR has been trying to control the spread of chronic wasting disease in Hampshire County, where 10 infected deer have been killed since September 2005. A threat to West Virginia's $233 million hunting industry, the disease attacks the brains of infected deer and elk.
Anglers Worried That Whirling Disease Is Spreadingkutv.com
27 Feb 2007
Photo Courtesy of kutv.com
The whirling-disease parasite has been found in Duchesne River, raising concerns that it eventually could reach Strawberry Reservoir, a popular place to catch trout. The Duchesne River and Rock Creek in Duchesne County, where whirling disease has been discovered in trout, are not naturally linked to the reservoir in Wasatch County. But Central Utah Project pipelines provide a connection between the water bodies. “It is imperative that we do what we can to protect every fishery from whirling disease, but it could impact Strawberry more than many of the others,” said Roger Wilson, sport-fishing coordinator at the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
The disease causes fish to spin and deforms them, causing them to eventually starve to death. There is no known risk to humans who eat infected fish. Strawberry Reservoir, 65 miles southeast of Salt Lake City, has a reputation for producing large trout. “We have been working to get the natural reproduction going to keep the fishery as healthy as possible and this could hurt,” said Jim Carter, president of Strawberry Anglers Coalition.
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