Wildlife Disease News Digest

Authorities Warn Increase in Wildlife Poisoning in Uganda Park Could Cause Irreversable [sic] Damage
Voice of America - voanews.com
31 Jul 2007
A Ryu
Photo courtesy of the Associated Press
Area: Uganda Africa

Wildlife authorities in Uganda are warning of an impending disaster in the country's most visited national park. Sixteen months ago cattlemen moved into Queen Elizabeth National Park and began poisoning lions, leopards, and hyenas to protect their herds. As VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu reports from our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi, an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the park is adding pressure on the Ugandan government to find a solution to the problem. Uganda's wildlife officials say the number of large predators in the country's famed Queen Elizabeth National Park is shrinking fast and could soon disappear.

Uganda's chief wildlife warden, Tom Okello, says at least 40 hyenas and 13 lions have died in the past year, mostly likely from eating meat laced with poison. More than 80 percent of the hyenas in the park are now gone and less than 40 lions remain from a population of nearly 100 a decade ago. It is not known how many leopards were in the reserve, but none have been spotted for months. Okello says some of the poisoned animals have been found.

>>>FULL ARTICLE AND AUDIO

8 Years into West Nile the Mosquito Wars: The Buzz on LI as Battlefield
Newsday - newsday.com
02 Aug 2007
J Smith
Area: New York USA

Ditches. Dynamite. Oil hosed on marshes. Chemicals sprayed from helicopters. Over Long Island's 80-year-struggle with mosquitoes, the arsenal has certainly evolved. Together, Nassau and Suffolk are spending more than $6 million this year on aerial spraying, lab testing and constant monitoring of the ponds, sumps and wetlands where mosquitoes breed. Still, by this time every year, the blood-sucking insects are swarming from salt marshes and dive-bombing backyard barbecues.

Malaria no longer kills people here, and being outdoors on a summer evening is now at least conceivable - thanks to window screens, bug repellent and decades of government-led mosquito control. But threats persist from West Nile virus and other rare but serious diseases that mosquitoes spread from wildlife to humans. Last week, health officials announced that West Nile had been detected in mosquito pools in Nassau, Suffolk and Queens for the first time this year. The virus has killed eight Long Islanders and sickened 77 since it first appeared in 1999.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Kenya: Beware Bush Meat's Numerous Health Risks
AllAfrica Global Media - allafrica.com
02 Aug 2007
F Gakuya
Area: Africa

A couple of weeks ago, three people were allegedly found with game meat destined for popular eating joints in Nairobi. The odd hour of operation - 4.30 am - suggests unhygienic slaughter methods in unsuitable places, and the unhygienic carrying. These expose the public to health risks. The three were charged, but they were acquitted.

However, the case raises important questions on public health. Indeed, it exposes the soft underbelly of the public health system. Disease transmission has implications for wildlife management, public health, livestock development and rural livelihoods. Many animal diseases are potential sources of infection. The health risks associated with bush meat are varied.

>>>FULL ARTICLE