Grey squirrel 'may have hitched'
BBC News – news.bbc.co.uk
25 Apr 2008
S McKenzie
Location: Highlands, United Kingdom




The first grey squirrel to be officially reported in the Highlands may have arrived on the back of a lorry carrying hay or straw bales.

The region is deemed to be a stronghold for native reds, free of the risk of competition for food and a disease carried by the American species.

Conservation project See Red Highland has raised concerns at the appearance of a grey near Inverness.

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Wildlife experts investigate dead fish in Country Pond
The Eagle-Tribune – www.eagletribune.com
26 Apr 2008
M Sullivan
Location: Kingston and Newton, New Hampshire – Map It



Something is killing dozens of fish in Country Pond in Kingston, N.H., and Newton, N.H

Yesterday, after receiving reports from residents and Newton police about numerous dead fish and fowl, scientists from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services and the U.S. Department of Agriculture hit the beaches to collect dead wildlife and test the water.

. . . Although it was too early to say why the fish died, there are some possible causes. Those include spawning, which puts stress on the fish; low oxygen levels in the water; or pollution from agents like blue-green algae, according to Jody Connor, director of the state environmental agency's center, which studies the state's fresh water lakes, ponds and rivers.

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Testing shows brucellosis in Park County elk
High Plains/Midwest AG Journal – www.hpj.com (source Associated Press)
27 Apr 2008
Location: Wyoming, USA

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department reports a sharp rise in the percentage of elk testing positive for exposure to brucellosis-causing bacteria in free-ranging herds near Cody.

State wildlife officials said April 17 that some 15 to 20 percent of elk taken by hunters in a couple of Park County herds showed exposure to the bacteria. That rate is almost as high as the exposure rate among elk that congregate at some feedgrounds.

Hank Edwards, a wildlife disease specialist with the Game and Fish Department, presented the information to the Wyoming Brucellosis Coordination Team.

. . . State officials caution that the data on the Cody elk herds is limited and could be misleading. But if the numbers prove to be accurate, they could mark a shift in the way the disease is spreading in the state.

"We don't have great data," Edwards said, "But this is what the data are telling us right now."

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OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo courtesy of SouthCoastToday

• When blue turned black: Five years ago today, Bouchard spill fouled Buzzards Bay
• Disposal of bisphenol A bottles becomes after-ban safety issue
• Rabies on the rise; 35 local cases so far this year (includes video) -Map It
• Rules aim to prevent spread of fish disease in Wisconsin
• Trojan Horse Of Viruses Revealed
• Balding Penguin Gets Wetsuit [Video] – [Something Fun]

WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED PUBLICATIONS

Identification of a Novel Coronavirus from a Beluga Whale by Using a Panviral Microarray
Journal of Virology. 2008 May; 82(10): 5084-5088 [online abstract only]
KA Mihindukulasuriya et al.

Journal of Wildlife Diseases - April 2008
Volume 44, Issue 02

Mass mortality in harbour seals and harbour porpoises caused by an unknown pathogen
Veterinary Record. 2008 Apr 26; 162 (17): 555-556 [no on-line abstract available]
T. Harkonen et al.

A quick guide to video-tracking birds
Biology Letters. 2008. [Epub ahead of print] [online abstract only]
LA Bluff and C Rutz