Wildlife Disease News Digest

‘Illegally’ Dumped Fish are Killing Carp
Reading Evening Post - www.getreading.co.uk
07 Nov 2007
Area: England, Berkshire, Burghfield Match Lake

Pet fish released into the wild are thought to be the cause of a virus outbreak which has killed nearly half the carp population at a popular fishery. Burghfield Match Lake, off Cottage Lane, has been completely fenced off after the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture (CEFAS) found koi herpes virus (KHV) had affected the venue’s carp.

Owner CEMEX Angling has put up a fence around the three acre lake, which costs £10 a day to fish, and says the fishery will be closed for the foreseeable future. The lake closed a week ago. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has also placed a foot-and-mouth-style ‘no movement zone’ on neighbouring lakes banning the transferral of fish from lake to lake.

Mick Barnes, CEMEX Angling’s general manager, said: “It will be closed for as long as we need it closed to make sure the disease does not get out and to make sure there’s no possibility of re-infection.

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Parrot Eggs Seized at Airport [Press Release]
New Zealand Customs Service - www.customs.govt.nz
09 Nov 2007
Area: New Zealand

A 21-year-old South African national, Pillipus Fourie, was convicted in Manukau District Court today for attempting to illegally smuggle parrot eggs into New Zealand. Fourie pleaded guilty and was fined a total of $20,000. A fine of $10,000 for “attempting to possess unauthorised goods” and $5,000 for “making a false declaration” --- both were imposed under the Bio-Security Act. A further $5,000 was imposed under the Trade in Endangered Species Act for “trading in threatened species”.

A total of 44 parrot eggs were concealed in a purpose-made vest that was worn under the man’s clothing. New Zealand Customs officers detected the eggs on the man after he arrived at Auckland International Airport earlier this week. The Wildlife Enforcement Group (WEG) is made up of Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF), Customs and Department of Conservation staff. MAF are leading the inquiry into the seizure.

‘This was obviously a professionally organised shipment with the eggs cleverly concealed in vest custom-made for this particular courier. Wildlife smuggling is an abhorrent practice and New Zealand treats the illegal importation of wildlife very seriously,” says Paul Campbell, NZ Customs Service Group Manager, Investigations and Response.

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Hemorraghic Disease Now Showing Up in Botetourt Deer
C Benson
Our Valley.org - ourvalley.org
07 Nov 2007
Photo courtesy of Our Valley.org

Epizootic Hemorraghic Disease (EHD) is having at least a modest impact on whitetail deer in Botetourt this fall.

The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (DGIF) has received reports from several landowners in the Fincastle and Eagle Rock areas who have found dead deer on their property—presumably from this blood-born disease. Botetourt now is among several other counties west of the Blue Ridge Mountains that have experienced an outbreak this summer and early fall.

One landowner near Fincastle found six dead dear on the family farm—none appeared to be shot or hit by a vehicle.

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UC Davis Leads Oiled-bird Rescue in San Francisco
UC Davis - www.news.ucdavis.edu
08 Nov 2007
Area: San Francisco, California, United States
Photo courtesy of UC Davis

UC Davis wildlife experts are leading the rescue of oiled birds in San Francisco today after a container ship spilled nearly 60,000 gallons of heavy bunker fuel oil into the bay.

Three veterinarians and a veterinary technician arrived at Fort Mason Wednesday to organize the rescue effort and begin treating injured birds. At 1 p.m. today, there were 21 seabirds being treated, all of them surf scoters, according to UC Davis veterinarian Michael Ziccardi, director of the California Oiled Wildlife Care Network.

Jonna Mazet, a UC Davis veterinarian and international authority on the rescue and treatment of oiled wildlife, has said in the past that for every oiled seabird that is found washed ashore, an estimated 10 to 100 birds died at sea. The UC Davis rescue team is working in a custom-built recovery and rehabilitation trailer. There, they assess the health status of oiled birds that are being brought in from beaches and the bay waters.

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Relate News

>>> Regional Update: Spilled Oil Impacting Wildlife, but not Air Quality

Still No Evidence of Chronic Wasting Disease in SC White-Tailed Deer
Lakefront Hartwell.com - www.lakefronthartwell.com
08 Nov 2007
Area: South Carolina, United States

Surveillance conducted by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources over the last 5 years continues to provide no evidence of Chronic Wasting Disease in South Carolina. Like fish and game agencies in most states, DNR has been diligent in conducting surveillance for the disease in recent years.

Sampling has been conducted in all counties and over 1,500 deer have been tested. The sampling methodology used by the department is designed to detect CWD in the population, even if the prevalence was very low (less than 0.5%). Surveillance will continue this deer season and DNR’s goal is to sample an additional 500 deer stratified at the county level.

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OTHER WILDLIFE DISEASE RELATED NEWS