March 20, 2008

Biologist will study wind turbine effects on wildlife
Plain Dealer - blog.cleveland.com
19 Mar 2008
DJ Miller
Photo courtesy of Dale Omori/Plain Dealer
Area: Ohio United States

A wildlife biologist whose area of expertise is bat and bird activity, has joined the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to study the effects of wind turbines on native and migrating wildlife, especially in the Lake Erie Basin. Keith DeWitt Lott will study the impact that the rotating blades of wind turbines have on the 300 species of birds and nine species of bats found in the state. "As Ohio moves into the realm of wind-based energy, it's important that we do so in a socially and environmentally responsible way," said ODNR Director Sean D. Logan in a news release. "Helping developers site wind turbines so that the impacts to birds and other wildlife are minimized is one way of accomplishing that objective."

ODNR is an active participant in the Ohio Wind Working Group (OWWG) and the Great Lakes Wind Collaborative (GLWC). The OWWG is a statewide collaborative of key stakeholders interested in smart and successful wind energy development for Ohio, while the GLWC is a regional effort to address issues such as off-shore wind turbines in the Great Lakes. The agency drafted a cooperative agreement between the state and developers in recent months to help identify the best possible locations in Ohio for wind turbines; places with high wind potential, but limited impact to birds, bats, fish and amphibians.





Wildlife show effects of drug contamination
Rutland Herald (Source: Associated Press)
19 Mar 2008
J Donn, M Mendonza and J Pritchard
Photo courtesy of Associated Press
Area: United States

On this brisk, glittering morning, a flat-bottomed boat glides across the massive reservoir that provides Las Vegas its drinking water. An ominous rumble growls beneath the craft as its two long, electrified claws extend into the depths. Moments later, dozens of stunned fish float to the surface. Federal scientists scoop them up and transfer them into 50-quart Coleman ice chests for transport to a makeshift lab on the dusty lakeshore.

Within the hour, the researchers will club the seven-pound common carps to death, draw their blood, snip out their gonads and pack them in aluminum foil and dry ice. The specimens will be flown across the country to laboratories where aquatic toxicologists are studying what happens to fish that live in water contaminated with at least 13 different medications — from over-the-counter pain killers to prescription antibiotics and mood stabilizers. More often than not these days, the laboratory tests bring unwelcome results. A five-month Associated Press investigation has determined that trace amounts of many of the pharmaceuticals we take to stay healthy are seeping into drinking water supplies, and a growing body of research indicates that this could harm humans.





Community asked to keep reporting dead birds [Press Release]
Molokai Times - www.molokaitimes.com
18 Mar 2008
Area: Hawaii United States

Community members from across the state helped form a network to monitor for the arrival of two potentially harmful diseases, bird flu (avian influenza, H5N1) and West Nile Virus. Neither of these diseases is present in Hawaii, but they could arrive, and early detection could potentially minimize impacts to people, domestic animals and wildlife. Last year, citizen monitoring and reporting of dead birds resulted in nearly 500 calls and online reports across the state. Of these, nearly 200 birds were deemed appropriate for testing, and all results were negative for these viruses.

“Dead bird reporting is an important part of Hawaii’s monitoring effort to find these diseases as soon as possible, while there may still be a chance to eradicate them here,” said Laurence Lau, Deputy Director for Environmental Health at the Hawaii Department of Health. These diseases could show up in wild or pet birds or poultry, if the diseases arrive in Hawaii. Since both diseases can sicken and kill birds, Hawaii’s birds can serve as a sentinel for either disease. Finding a dead bird could mean that West Nile Virus or bird flu is present.





Nets Threaten Rare New Zealand Dolphins
National Geographic (Source: Associated Press)
19 Mar 2008
R Lilley
Photo courtesy of WWF-Canon/Stephen Dawson
Area: North Island New Zealand

The deaths of 22 dolphins in trawler nets prompted fresh calls Wednesday for the New Zealand government to ban two types of fishing nets from the habitats of two critically endangered species of dolphin. The World Wildlife Fund said that Maui's dolphins, which are found only along North Island's west coast and are on the brink of extinction, urgently need protection from set nets and trawler nets if they are to survive. Official estimates are that just 111 Maui's dolphins still live in the wild. Set nets are used by recreational fishers near the coastline, while large trawl nets are used further out to sea in commercial fishing to catch large schools of fish.

The numbers for another endangered New Zealand species, the Hector's dolphin, have declined from an estimated 29,000 in the 1970s to 7,000 currently. Photographs of 22 common dolphins killed in trawler nets off North Island's west coast last December—released by the government Tuesday—were proof that current fishing controls are failing to protect endangered dolphins, said Chris Howe, the executive director of the WWF's New Zealand branch. The deaths showed that the fishing industry cannot be trusted to follow the voluntary code of practice that currently protects the species, he said.





Starmageddon: As thousands of starfish wash up on our beaches, what is to blame for destroying one of nature's little marvels?
Daily Mail - www.dailymail.co.uk
19 Mar 2008
D Derbyshire
Photo courtesy of Tony Flashman
Area: England United Kingdom

They lay in their thousands, covering the beach in a carpet of pink and orange. Some were curled up, their spiny feet pointing towards the sky. Others lay flat where they had been washed up by the tide. All were dead. If the collective noun for a normal group of starfish is a constellation, then this pitiful sight on the Kent coastline was more like a galaxy. Mass starfish strandings, or "wrecks", are not uncommon in Britain and typically happen once a year.

But the scale of death visited upon the beaches of southern England in the past few weeks has stunned conservationists and prompted a major investigation into what could be killing so many marine animals. It had been assumed - hoped, even - that the deaths were the result of freak weather or unusual tides outside the control of people. Some of the deaths undoubtedly were. But experts now believe the slaughter which has blighted Kent and Sussex is also the result of human activity - more particularly, the intensive fishing for mussels. Starfish are without doubt one of the great wonders of the marine world.





OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo courtesy of AP Photo/M. Spencer Green




WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED PUBLICATIONS

Perturbing implications of wildlife ecology for disease control
Trends in Ecology Evolution. 2008 Feb;23(2):53-6. Epub 2008 Jan 11.
RA McDonald et al.

Human infections associated with wild birds
Journal of Infection. 2008 Feb;56(2):83-98. Epub 2007 Dec 21
S Tsiodras et al.

Epidemiological risk factors of Aujeszky' s disease in wild boars (Sus scrofa) and domestic pigs in Spain
European Journal of Wildlife Research. 2008 Mar 13; [Epub ahead of print][online abstract only]
F Ruiz-Fons et al.

Predictable ecology and geography of avian influenza (H5N1) transmission in Nigeria and West Africa
Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene . 2008; [Epub ahead of print][online abstract only]
RAJ Williams et al.

at Thursday, March 20, 2008

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