Wildlife Disease News Digest

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Birds that died on Minn. lakes test positive for Newcastle disease
KAAL-TV ABC 6 News - kaaltv.com
15 Aug 2008
N Muehlhausen
Image courtesy of USGS
Area: Minnesota United States - Map It

The National Veterinary Services Laboratory has found that several wild water birds from two Minnesota lakes have tested positive for the virulent form of Newcastle disease. This strain of virus can be highly contagious among double-crested cormorants, according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. There is little threat to humans from the disease. The birds that tested positive were from Minnesota Lake in Faribault County, Pigeon Lake in Meeker County, and Lake Kabetogama in Voyageurs National Park, according to the DNR.

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Banff on alert after disease found in elk
Calgary Herald - www.canada.com/calgaryherald
16 Aug 2008
C Ellis
Area: Alberta, Canada - Map It

and Saskatchewan, Canada - Map It

Banff National Park officials are keeping close tabs on the local elk population after the first cases of chronic wasting disease in wild elk showed up in Saskatchewan. Deer in Alberta and Saskatchewan have tested positive for the disease -- a fatal brain illness of mule deer, white-tailed deer and elk. But officials in Saskatchewan report this is the first time it has been found in wild elk in Canada. Jesse Whittington, wildlife specialist for Banff National Park, said chronic wasting disease is one of the most important diseases that Parks Canada monitors for, and has been doing so for several years now.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Related News
>>>Chronic Wasting Disease Not Detected in Florida's Deer Herd

Pesticides jeopardizing salmon, agency warns
MSNBC - www.msnbc.msn.com (Source: Associated Press)
14 Aug 2008
Image courtesy of NOAA
Area: United States

Three pesticides commonly used on farms and orchards throughout the West are jeopardizing the survival of Pacific salmon, the federal agency in charge of saving the fish from extinction has found. Under the settlement of a lawsuit brought by anti-pesticide groups and salmon fishermen, NOAA Fisheries has issued a draft biological opinion that found the way chlorpyrifos, diazinon and malathion get into salmon streams at levels high enough to kill salmon protected by the Endangered Species Act. The chemicals interfere with salmon's sense of smell, making it harder for them to avoid predators, find food, and even find their native spawning streams.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

More than 100 rare Laysan ducks found dead
Times of India - timesofindia.indiatimes.com
18 Aug 2008
Area: United States - Map It

More than 100 endangered Laysan ducks have been found dead this month at Midway Atoll in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. The first dead duck was discovered August 10, and 106 adult and adolescent bird carcasses had been found as of Saturday, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Avian botulism is suspected as the cause of death, but that diagnosis has not been confirmed, Matt Brown, acting refuge manager at Midway, told the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. The Laysan duck is the rarest native waterfowl in the United States, with estimates indicating that fewer than 1,000 survive.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Related News
>>>Bird die-offs fall sharply
>>>Ducks dying in Salt Lake Valley parks - Utah, United States - Map It

Reported Wildlife Mortality Events to the USGS National Wildlife Health Center Updated
USGS National Wildlife Health Center
18 Aug 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 Aug 18, 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

West Nile virus confirmed in Oakville
Oakville Beaver - www.oakvillebeaver.com
16 Aug 2008
D Lea
Area: Oakville, Ontario, Canada - Map It

Dead bird tests positive in southeast Oakville

Officials from Halton Region's Health Department are calling on residents to protect themselves from mosquito bites after a dead blue jay found in Oakville tested positive for West Nile virus (WNv). The blue jay, which was discovered on Monday in the area of Cornwall and Chartwell roads, is the first WNv positive bird found in Halton this year. It likely won't be the last, though. A dead crow that was located on Tuesday in the Fourth Line and Rebecca Street area is also expected to test positive for the virus.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Image courtesy of BBC News