Bird flu kills four civets in Vietnam national park
Reuters – www.reuters.com
11 Mar 2008
Location: Cuc Phuong, Ninh Binh Province, Vietnam
Bird flu killed four civets in a Vietnamese national park, the second time the rare type of mammal was reported to have died there of the H5N1 virus since 2005, a park official said on Tuesday.
Four endangered Owston's palm civets died early last month at Cuc Phuong park and tests of their samples found they had the H5N1 virus, the official said.
Related Avian Influenza News
Sick skunk marks 27th found in past month
Redding.com - www.redding.com
12 Mar 2008
D Darling
Location: Redding, Shasta, California, USA
A sickly skunk was found filthy, drooling and out in bright daylight -- all signs of health problems -- Tuesday afternoon in west Redding.
The call brought the number of sick urban wild animals handled in the past month by Redding Animal Regulation to 29 -- 27 skunks and two raccoons. Most have been in town west of the Sacramento River.
"Something is definitely going on here," said Animal Regulation's Capt. Lee Anne Smith.
But what ails the animals won't be known unless they are tested for rabies, distemper and other animal diseases.
March Science Picks—Leads, Feeds and Story SeedsUSGS Newsroom – www.usgs.gov/newsroom
10 Mar 2008
You Are What You Eat: Chemicals Found in Earthworms
The saying "you are what you eat" is proving true for earthworms, which eat soil for nourishment. Earthworms studied in agricultural fields have been found to contain chemicals from household products and manure, indicating that such substances are entering the food chain. . . .
Wind Energy Threatens Bats
Demand for electricity from wind energy has been growing internationally. Large wind energy facilities have sprung up around the world, composed of newer-generation turbines that stand over 350 feet high with blades spanning more than 250 ft across. Several wind farms, however, have killed unprecedented numbers of bats, resulting in the need to understand animal movements and behavior, especially as warmer weather approaches and species begin seasonal migration. . . .
Some Don’t Like it Hot
Temperature change has a dramatic effect on the survival and ecology of amphibians. The USGS recently found that cool temperatures in streams are vital to the survival of two Pacific Northwest salamanders, and neither species can live in stream temperatures above 84 degrees Fahrenheit. Southern torrent salamanders, one of the studied species, were also found to be among the most heat sensitive of any amphibian. . . .
Snowpack Affects Wildlife Disease in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
In the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, state and federal managers feed more than 6,000 metric tons of hay to elk and bison every year. USGS researcher Paul Cross, in collaboration with colleagues at the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, recently found that increased snowpack results in longer feeding seasons, and sites with longer feeding periods had a greater presence of brucellosis - a bacterial disease that infects elk, bison and cattle in the region. . . .
USGS Science and Human Health
Human health is influenced in many ways by our environment and the wildlife we share it with. . . . Other examples include pathogens in recreational waters as well as diseases such as avian influenza or West Nile Virus, which can be spread through mosquitoes. USGS science is helping public health scientists better understand the factors that cause the spread of disease in humans. . . .
Rabies, deer - Russia (Komi)
ProMED Mail – www.promedmail.org
11 Mar 2008
Location: Komi Republic
A focus of rabies eliminated in Komi
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A meeting of the Commission for emergency situations was held in Komi
As noted by the Regnum Correspondent, 1200 doses of vaccine were sent and several organizations were involved in the rabies control activities.
Roads Take a Toll on Wildlife
Posted on 12 Mar 2008
L Osborn
Wildlife carcasses litter the sides of rural roads. Researchers in one study spotted an average of 14 vehicle accident victims for every 100 miles they drove. On the southern Great Plains of Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas, they added up 1,412 mammal roadkills in 10,250 miles of driving over three years. . . .
The University of Oklahoma study identified 18 species of mammals lying dead along roads that pass through woodlands, prairie and rural countryside. Nearly all (85%) of the kills were of four species: striped skunk, Virginia opossum, nine-banded armadillo and northern raccoon.
Fish-killing algae discovered
Science Alert – www.sciencealert.com
11 Mar 2008
Fish-killing, red tide causing algae are among six new species of algae which have been discovered in the middle of the Southern Ocean by University of Tasmania scientists.
Research Fellow (Marine Biotechnology) Dr Miguel de Salas, from the School of Plant Science, made the discovery from microscopic samples collected in 2006 and 2007, for which the results have just been published.
“Discovering six entirely new species is exciting enough, but we have also found that they are quite abundant and at least two of them are toxic - this is the first time that fish-killing, red tide causing algae have been discovered in the Southern Ocean,” Dr de Salas said.
Continued climate change setting stage for rise in infectious diseases: experts
The Canadian Press – canadianpress.google.com
11 Mar 2008
It's not just our day-to-day weather and other aspects of the environment that will be altered by global climate change: disruptions in seasonal temperatures and precipitation patterns will also likely affect human health because of a rise in infectious diseases, experts suggest.
In an article in Tuesday's issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, infectious disease specialists predict that global warming will increase the risk of infectious disease by expanding the geographic ranges of species known to carry diseases that jump from animals to humans.
As mean temperatures rise in Canada and the rest of North America, mosquitoes and other insects known to carry diseases that can be spread to humans would likely expand their breeding areas - and also the length of time they could survive in a season, said co-author Dr. David Fisman, a scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children's research institute in Toronto.
OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo courtesy of Gorilla Doctors Blog
WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED PUBLICATIONS
Chronic Wasting Disease Update - Report No. 90
07 March 2008
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