Wildlife Disease News Digest

Correction to Monday, July 28, 2008 Posting

Thanks to one of our readers, three article links from Monday's Digest post were reported as broken. They have been repaired. We apologize for any inconvenience. See the affected story titles below.

Scientists say rising, lowering sea levels drove mass extinction

Shark-spotters wanted in Cornwall

ANIMAL PHOTOS WEEKLY: Albino Eagle, Cloned Pups, More

Please note, reader feedback and reports of problems are appreciated and can be emailed to us at wdin@usgs.gov.

TOP STORIES

Wing damage
Boston Globe - www.boston.com
28 Jul 2008
B Daley
Area: Uniated States

The mysterious death of bats has continued this summer, but researchers are closing in on a cause

After a series of provocative discoveries in recent months, scientists believe bats in the Northeast might be in greater peril from a mysterious sickness than originally thought. Researchers now think that a fuzzy white fungus found on thousands of dead and dying bats in New England and New York last winter might be the primary cause of the illness. . . . Hundreds of animals with scarred wings, both dead and alive, were discovered in Vermont, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire through June. The wing damage can kill bats and likely was caused by the fungus, researchers say.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Attacks on birds of prey 'up 40%'
BBC News - news.bbc.co.uk
27 Jul 2008
Area: Scotland United Kingdom

The number of crimes reported against birds of prey rose by 40% last year to a record level, the RSPB has said. The bird welfare charity recorded 262 attacks in 2007, up from 185, including 34 shootings and 49 poisonings. Crimes against all wild birds also hit a record high with 1,208 incidents reported to the RSPB, up from 1,109. It said the rise may be down to better sharing of information with other agencies but believes many crimes go undetected in remote areas. The birds of prey poisoned included 17 red kites and one half of the only breeding pair of golden eagles in the Scottish Borders.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Reported Wildlife Mortality Events to the USGS National Wildlife Health Center Updated
USGS National Wildlife Health Center
28 Jul 2008
Area: United States

USGS and a network of partners across the country work on documenting wildlife mortality events in order to provide timely and accurate information on locations, species and causes of death. This information was updated on July 25, 2008 on the USGS National Wildlife Health Center web page, New and Ongoing Wildlife Mortality Events Nationwide. Quarterly Mortality Reports are also available from this page. These reports go back to 1995.

>>>Updated Wildlife Mortality Event Table

Fungus Foot Baths Could Save Bees
ScienceDaily - www.sciencedaily.com
28 Jul 2008
Image courtesy of University of Warwick

One of the biggest world wide threats to honey bees, the varroa mite, could soon be about to meet its nemesis. Researchers at the University of Warwick are examining naturally occurring fungi that kill the varroa mite. They are also exploring a range of ways to deliver the killer fungus throughout the hives from bee fungal foot baths to powder sprays. It well known that bees world wide are suffering serious declines and one of the causes of that decline is the varroa mite, Varroa destructor.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Related News
>>>Mixed-breed bees have most resistance to disease

ARS-Developed Apparatus Captures Deer Safely, Effectively and with Minimal Trauma
USDA - Agricultural Research Service - www.ars.usda.gov
25 Jul 2008
A Flores
Area: United States

A portable device that allows researchers to humanely trap deer and other wildlife as part of field studies to control ticks and other parasites has been developed by an Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientist. The apparatus, developed by ARS entomologist Mat Pound in Kerrville, Texas, effectively restrains wildlife with minimal trauma to the animal. It will permit wildlife biologists and other researchers to quickly capture and handle deer, other wild exotic animals and small livestock such as sheep and goats with minimal stress to the animal. Pound works at the ARS Tick Research Unit, part of the agency's Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory in Kerrville.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Unexpected fall in puffin numbers
BBC News - news.bbc.co.uk
25 Jul 2008
M Kinver
Image courtesy of J Cornish/NTPL
Area: England United Kingdom

England's biggest colony of puffins has seen the birds' numbers fall by a third in just five years, a survey shows. Experts had expected to see a slight increase in the population on the Farne Islands, owned by the National Trust. The Trust says the size of the decline is unprecedented, adding that it will carry out another survey in 2008 in order to monitor the situation. One theory is that many of the birds are dying from starvation during the eight months they spend at sea.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Image courtesy of Earth News