Changing Weather Affecting Birds, Pests
Chattanooga Times Free Press
23 Feb 2007
P Sohn
Area: Tennessee

Bird researchers are reporting changes in migration patterns, something scientists are linking to climate change. Dr. Grace McLaughlin, a wildlife disease specialist with the U.S. Geological Survey's National Wildlife Health Center, said the birds -- cued to flight by day lengths rather than temperatures -- are dropping in at the usual refreshment stations along their travel routes only to find the cupboards bare. Earlier springs and mild winters have prompted earlier insect larva hatch times, she said, and the stressed, hungry birds must move on or die. "That's a concern," she said.

Such stresses and changes typically have occurred over thousands of years, but now the changes are happening in 50-year intervals, and some species may not be able to keep up, she said. Kevin Calhoon, senior aviculturist at the Tennessee Aquarium, said the American goldfinch is a species that seems to be moving its migration pattern north. "People appreciate what they can see," Mr. Calhoon said. But there is significance beyond just missing the beauty of the goldfinch, he said. "Sometimes we don't know why some animals and species are here until they are gone, and we look around and say, 'boy, all these bugs are bad.'

>>>FULL ARTICLE

GAO to Examine Bison Management: $13M Deal to Open Land North of Yellowstone has Never Been Implemented
The Billings Gazette
23 Feb 2007
M Stark
Area: Wyoming and Montana, USA


The U.S. Government Accountability Office is in the early stages of investigating several issues related to the management of Yellowstone National Park bison. The investigation was sought by Rep. Nick J. Rahall, D-W.Va., chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources. Rahall asked the GAO for a review of the Interagency Bison Management Plan, an agreement approved in 2000 that governs the handling of bison that leave Yellowstone and enter Montana. The plan is supposed to reduce the risk of spreading brucellosis between bison and cattle while maintaining a healthy bison population.

Rahall, in a letter to the GAO, said the 7-year-old plan hasn't progressed beyond its initial phase. "What is evident, however, is that bison continue to be slaughtered with federal support and cooperation," he wrote. Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-N.Y., also sent a letter asking the GAO to look at bison management issues, including a 1999 deal between the federal government and the Church Universal and Triumphant. The $13 million deal, which was supposed to open thousands of acres north of Yellowstone where bison would be tolerated, has languished for years and was never implemented.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Tejon Ranch Switch to Lead-Free Ammunition Will Help Condors: But Tejon’s Planned Cities Will Devastate the Bird’s Habitat [Press Release]
Center for Biological Diversity
23 Feb 2007
Area: California, USA

Tejon Ranch Corporation announced today that non-lead ammunition will be required for all hunting and predator control on the 270,000-acre Tejon Ranch starting this fall, to protect the endangered California condors who forage in critical condor habitat on the ranch. The switch to non-lead ammunition will reduce the threat of lead poisoning, which is the leading cause of death for reintroduced condors, still teetering on the brink of extinction. “We applaud Tejon Ranch’s decision to get the lead out for condors, and if the state’s largest private landholder can go lead-free, then the rest of California should be able to follow suit,” said Jeff Miller with the Center for Biological Diversity. “Unfortunately, the urban-sprawl developments planned for Tejon Ranch are also a gun to the head of condor recovery efforts.


If Tejon pulls the trigger on these developments the resulting habitat destruction and disturbance could prove just as lethal to condors as any bullet.” The move to lead-free ammunition provides a significant conservation benefit for condors and ratchets up the pressure on the state of California to regulate lead bullets in condor habitat and stop lead poisoning. The Center is part of a coalition of health and conservation organizations, hunters and American Indians that filed a lawsuit against the state last fall for continuing to allow hunting with toxic lead ammunition. Safe, reliable bullets and shot made from copper and other materials are widely available for hunting and perform as well or better than lead ammunition.

>>>FULL PRESS RELEASE


Related Link(s)
Endangered California Condors Threatened by Lead Poisoning From Lead Ammunition
Urban Sprawl: Tejon Ranch, CA

Mite Infestation Attacking Squirrels
Evansville Courier & Press
25 Feb 2007
L Caplan

I've had some reports on "bald" squirrels showing up in the Tri-State recently. The squirrels appear to be losing fur over various parts of their body. These squirrels most likely have mange, which is caused by one of two types of mites. These mites cause itchy rashes, and the infested animal literally scratches off its fur.

Some of these mange mites will attack only squirrels and related species, but others can also attack pets and humans. There's also a chance that this could be caused by a fungal infection. Although mange itself isn't a fatal condition, furless squirrels will not be able to keep warm during cold snaps and are likely to freeze to death. There's not much we can do to help infested squirrels.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Federal Workers Collecting Information on Raccoons
The Tribune-Democrat
25 Feb 2007
J Gorden
Area: Pennsylvania, USA

The federal Department of Agriculture is locked in a critical battle to stem the spread of rabies, and Laurel Summit between Somerset and Westmoreland counties is Ground Zero. “The western edge of Somerset County is just where the line stops,” explained Craig Swope, wildlife biologist and district supervisor at the Bolivar office of Wildlife Services, a division of the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Since summer, federal workers have been trapping raccoons in Somerset and Westmoreland counties, ear-tagging them, and fitting them with radio collars to gain information that could help in the fight. “We’ve got animals with collars on in the valley where Johnstown is, on Laurel Ridge, and in the valley where Ligonier is,” Swope said.

“We’re looking at the possibility of using natural barriers – high mountains, high altitude – to impede the flow of rabies.” Swope explained that rabies exists all across Pennsylvania and other eastern states, but is scarce in Ohio and has not yet spread to the Midwest. Cambria, Somerset and Westmoreland counties are considered the frontier in the battle against the disease, he said, so each fall, Wildlife Services scatters rabies vaccine by air in forested areas west of Johnstown and by vehicle in more urban areas. The vaccine is contained in packets designed to be eaten by wildlife, especially raccoons.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Journal Article(s) of Interest
Opportunities and Obstacles to Collecting Wildlife Disease Data for Public Health Purposes: Results of a Pilot Study on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. [Online Abstract Only]
Can Vet J. 2007 Jan;48(1):83-7, 89-90.
T Stitt et al.

The Role of Feral Mammals on Wildlife Infectious Disease Prevalence in Two Nature Reserves within Mexico City Limits. [Online Abstract Only]
J Zoo Wildl Med. 2005 Sep;36(3):479-84.
G Suzan and G Ceballos