Smuggling of Frogs on the Rise
NDTV.com
13 Apr 2007
K Bhattacharjee
The smuggling of frogs from the North East to China and Europe has increased. Frog legs are one of the better-known delicacies of French and Chinese cuisine and bull frogs in particular are much sought after for their meaty hind legs. Recently the railway police seized a container filled of endangered bull frogs from a local train coming from the North Cachar Hills, which say they were meant to be smuggled. "This is a case of smuggling, it happens on this route, they are taken outside.
Earlier we had caught elephants. I know they are sent to China, Burma," said Ranjit Hazarika, OC GRP, Guwahati. The 71 frogs that were seized have now been released. There may be no accounting for taste but these amphibians play a more meaningful role in their natural habitat rather than when served with white wine. Less than 50 frogs are needed to keep an acre of a paddy field insect free.
Lyme Disease in Tennessee
The Tennessee Journalist
12 Apr 2007
E Hill
Area: Tennessee USA
The Center for Wildlife Health welcomes Jean Tsao and Sarah Hamer to discuss the emerging problem Lyme disease can present for wildlife. A seminar will be held Friday, April 13 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Room 166 of the Agricultural Engineering Building on the University of Tennessee campus in which Tsao and Hamer will relate how wildlife species have contributed to the spread of Lyme disease. The increase in Lyme disease is attributed to invasion of the black-legged tick into parts of southern Michigan. The ticks are carried there by wild birds and mammals and have begun to make the area a permanent home.
Recently, black-legged ticks also have been found on deer in Tennessee, but the population has not yet reached the level that exists in Michigan. The black-legged ticks is the animal most likely to transfer the disease to humans. At Friday's seminar, Tsao and Hamer will examine how wildlife surveillance can provide early warnings that will aid in disease control and discuss possible solutions to the problem, such as vaccines.
Animal Health Sponsorships Still Available from MAF [Press Release]
Morris Animal Foundation
05 Apr 2007
Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) provides a unique opportunity for individuals or groups to demonstrate love for and help animals via its animal health study/research sponsorships. MAF still has plenty of sponsorship opportunities available for 2007 and all are invited to sponsor or co-sponsor with a total gift of $3,000 or more per study. Projects address the health and well-being of dogs, cats, horses, llamas/alpacas and wildlife. Founded in 1948, 100% of MAF donations are used to fund research to protect, treat and cure the world's animals.
In 2007 MAF has committed to funding $4.3 million in animal health studies. The complete list of research studies can be viewed at http://www.MorrisAnimalFoundation.org, or a hard copy sponsorship directory can be obtained by calling (800) 243.2345. MAF's 2007 selection of studies is being conducted at 49 of the world's most elite veterinary colleges, zoological institutions and scientific research centers. In addition to key facts on MAF and an easy step-by-step guide to sponsoring a health research study, the sponsorship directory details 39 canine health studies, including many crucial health issues such as cancer, heart disease, eye and blood disorders, and urinary problems.
Are Mobile Phones Wiping Out Our Bees?
The Independent
15 Apr 2007
G Lean and H Shawcross
It seems like the plot of a particularly far-fetched horror film. But some scientists suggest that our love of the mobile phone could cause massive food shortages, as the world's harvests fail. They are putting forward the theory that radiation given off by mobile phones and other hi-tech gadgets is a possible answer to one of the more bizarre mysteries ever to happen in the natural world - the abrupt disappearance of the bees that pollinate crops. Late last week, some bee-keepers claimed that the phenomenon - which started in the US, then spread to continental Europe - was beginning to hit Britain as well.
The theory is that radiation from mobile phones interferes with bees' navigation systems, preventing the famously homeloving species from finding their way back to their hives. Improbable as it may seem, there is now evidence to back this up. Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) occurs when a hive's inhabitants suddenly disappear, leaving only queens, eggs and a few immature workers, like so many apian Mary Celestes. The vanished bees are never found, but thought to die singly far from home.
Trapping Focus of Md. Parasite Containment
United Press International (Posted by monstersandcritics.com)
15 Apr 2007
Area: Maryland USA
Humane society officials in Maryland plan to start trapping wild animals in an attempt to contain a dangerous parasite on a farm. The Humane Society of Carroll County will coordinating its efforts with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to trap wildlife around the 112-acre farm where the potentially deadly parasite has been found, The Baltimore Sun reported Saturday. 'We are only interested in wild animals, and those will be in limited numbers,' Executive Director Carolyn Ratliff said. 'We will be sampling the perimeter of the farm and have permission from those property owners to do so.
'If wild animals have this disease, there is a real possibility it could be re-introduced to pigs back at the farm,' she said. The farm has been quarantined ever since one of its pigs tested positive for trichinosis. While the initial trapping effort will only focus on a portion of the area wildlife, the newspaper said the containment effort could grow significantly in scope if the parasite is found to have spread outside the farm`s borders.
Senate Votes to Expand Canned Hunting Ban
The Associated Press (Posted by theworldlink.com)
13 Apr 2007
A Clark
Area: Oregon USA
The Oregon Legislature moved closer Thursday to clamping down on the canned hunting of captive, exotic animals. The Senate voted 22-5 for a bill to outlaw the hunting of such animals as ibex goats and Russian boars on closed game reserves. The Supreme Court ruled in November against the hunting of captive, non-indigenous deer, but didn't rule on more exotic species. That led to the bill, which now goes to the House.
“These are trophy hunting facilities that offer the customers the opportunity to kill exotic or game animals that are trapped within enclosures, regardless of their size, with really no chance to escape, and they are shot at a close range,” said Sen. Ryan Deckert, D-Beaverton, chief sponsor. Deckert said that hunting groups have derided the practice as unsportsmanlike. But several lawmakers disputed that. “Hunting groups oppose this,” said Sen. Roger Beyer, R-Molalla.
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