Wildlife Disease News Digest

Scientists race to save tassie devils
ABC News - www.abc.net.au
02 Feb 2008
F Ogilvie
Photo courtesy of AAP: David Hunt
Area: Tasmania Australia

The deadly cancer killing tasmanian devils is spreading across the island so fast that scientists say this year will be their last chance to find healthy devils to quarantine. The animals are being trapped as part of a Project Ark initiative, a captive breeding program designed to save them from extinction. Scientists estimate the facial tumour disease will kill most of the islands' devils within five to 15 years. Biosecurity measures are tight around the devils' pens because this could be the last chance the Save the Devil team has to get disease-free devils in from the wild.

Steven Smith manages the program. "I guess at the moment, we don't know what the future holds," he said. "We don't know if the disease will reach the West Coast before this time next year and so we're not going to rely on being able to get more young animals next year from the disease-free areas. "So bringing these animals in, in the western intake 2008, is really important."

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Avian influenza: Bulgaria, wild duck, H7, OIE - Archive Number 20080203.0437
ProMED-mail - apex.oracle.com
02 Feb 2008
Area: Bulgaria European Union

Summary
Report type: Immediate notification
Start date 21 Jan 2008
Date of 1st confirmation of the event 1 Feb 2008
Report date 1 Feb 2008
Date submitted to OIE 1 Feb 2008
Reason for notification: Reoccurrence of a listed disease
Date of previous occurrence February 2006
Manifestation of disease: Sub-clinical infection
Causal agent: Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus
Serotype: H7
Nature of diagnosis Laboratory (basic)
This event pertains to a defined zone within the country

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Wildlife meat dangerous for humans if not checked
The New Vision - www.newvision.co.ug
03 Feb 2008
L Nsubuga
Area: Uganda

Rumours that the 2007 ebola scourge originated from a family that ate a goat, which had recently suffered a monkey bite terrified many Ugandans. The scourge left over 35 Ugandans dead and about 150 infected. The thought that Uganda’s wildlife might be infected with the ebola virus left some people worried, especially those that are keen to eat the meat of wild animals such as hippos, crocodiles, buffaloes, warthogs, baboons, waterbucks and zebras. It is illegal for humans to eat wildlife meat be it raw, roasted, cooked or fermented except if it is sold by licenced restaurants, which can easily be regulated and held accountable.

. . . The Uganda Wildlife Authority implores Ugandans to desist from interacting with wildlife in any way (touching, hugging or eating) because that can cause exposure to viruses and diseases through ticks, fleas or direct transfer. At the same time, you can’t know how many tapeworms and hookworms enter your digestive system as you enjoy that piece of roast baboon or crocodile meat. Wildlife is a treasured national heritage; it attracts tourists both foreign and local and it brings in the much-needed foreign exchange. It is also important for the ecosystem. Carelessly interacting with wildlife could lead to human-animal transmission of diseases or vice versa.

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Red alert: how you can help save the squirrel
Scotland On Sunday - scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com
03 Feb 2008
M Horne
Photo courtesy of www.forestry.gov.uk
Area: Scotland United Kingdom

They are one of the rare delights of the Scottish countryside, a picture of nature at its best. But the red squirrel is under threat and Scotland on Scotland is today launching a major bid to help save one of the country's most iconic and endangered animals. We have teamed up with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to support a project which aims to preserve the future of our red squirrel population. Scientists believe that the much-loved native mammals face extinction unless urgent action is taken, and we are calling on our readers across the country to report from the front line of the red's battle for survival.

. . . The red squirrel's survival is also threatened by the spread of squirrelpox – a Mixamytosis-like condition carried by greys – which has virtually wiped out red squirrels south of the border. Dr Mairi Cole, SNH's red squirrel adviser, said the species faced a bleak future unless a survival strategy can be implemented. "Grey squirrels have the competitive edge in broadleaf woodlands, having originally come from the oak and hickory forests of the eastern side of North America. "When the two species come to occupy the same broadleaf areas, grey squirrels take over and red squirrels are lost within around 15 years.

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Deer cull raises questions
Calgary Herald - www.canada.com
02 Feb 2008
P Beauchamp
Area: Alberta Canada

Wildlife officials are killing hundreds of deer along Alberta's eastern border in a bid to halt the spread of chronic wasting disease, but the cull has raised the ire of area residents who are opposed to the mass killing. Over the next two months, officers will shoot every deer they can find within a 10-kilometre radius of the four spots where deer suffering from chronic wasting disease were located during the hunting season. The first of the four 10-day culls, planned between Empress and Lloydminster, started near Oyen this week. About 1,850 deer were killed last year and a minimum of 1,000 deer will be killed this round, though possibly many more.

. . . The department's goal is to reduce the density of deer to one deer per square kilometre. Alberta has a low frequency of chronic wasting disease - 34 deer have tested positive since 2005 - compared with Saskatchewan, where more than 150 cases of the disease have been detected. Experts hope that by thinning herd numbers, the risk of the disease spreading will be reduced if herds come into contact with infected deer from Saskatchewan. Chronic wasting disease is a transmissible neurological disease that infects deer, elk and moose. Its origin and mode of transmission is unknown.

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Malaysia abandons plan to export macaque monkeys because most have diseases
The Associated Press (Posted by the International Herald Tribune - www.iht.com)
02 Feb 2008
Photo courtesy of www.ecologyasia.com
Area: Malaysia

Malaysia has dropped plans to capture macaque monkeys in urban areas and export them for food and scientific research, after discovering most of the animals are riddled with diseases, a Cabinet minister said Saturday. The government last year lifted a decades-old ban on the export of the long-tailed monkeys, saying it would help curb their booming population in cities where they attack people and raid food supplies. Activists have opposed the plan as cruel. A recent health check by wildlife officials found that 80 percent of urban macaques carried diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, hepatitis and the HIV/AIDS virus, said Environment Minister Azmi Khalid.

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OTHER WILDLIFE DISEASE RELATED NEWS