TOP STORIES

Corals face a sandy death
ScienceAlert - www.sciencealert.com.au (Source: ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
09 Oct 2008
Image courtesy of iStockphoto

When reef fish get a mouthful of sand, coral reefs can drown. That’s the latest startling evidence to emerge from research into the likely fate of reefs under climate change and rising sea levels, at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies (CoECRS). “We’ve known for a while that having a lot of sediment in the water is bad for corals and can smother them. What we didn’t realize is how permanent this state of affairs can become, to the point where it may prevent the corals ever re-establishing,” says Professor David Bellwood of CoECRS and James Cook University.

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Frog-killing fungus spreads across Panama Canal towards South America
Afrique en ligne - www.afriquenligne.fr
08 Oct 2008
Area: Panama Canal

South America, the current hot-spot for describing new frog species, may be in danger of seeing population declines due to an epidemic. A recent scientific paper has found the mysterious fungal disease, chytridiomycosis, has begun to establish into eastward Panama, heading across the Panama Canal boundary towards Colombian amphibian populations. The publication predicts that at the current rate, the fungus will spread into Tortí (Panamá Province) before 2012. The chytrid fungus is believed to be the leading cause of population mortality of amphibians.

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Thousands of fish die in Alameda Creek in Fremont
Mercury News - www.mercurynews.com
08 Oct 2008
M Artz
Image courtesy of Bea Ahbeck
Area: Alameda Creek, Alameda County, California, USA - Map It

Investigators on Tuesday were working to determine whether a leak from a sewage facility in Pleasanton might have caused a major fish kill in Alameda Creek. About 5,000 fish, primarily carp, sucker and sculpin, were found belly up Monday morning in a 150-acre-foot section of the creek spanning from just east of Mission Boulevard to a rubber dam about 1,200 feet to the west. Whatever killed the fish won't impact the local residents, who rely on the creek for some of their drinking water, said Steve Dennis, emergency services supervisor for he Alameda County Water District. The district sent crews farther upstream Tuesday to look for more pools of dead fish, but found none, Dennis added.

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Perth seagull deaths remain a mystery
The Australian - www.theaustralian.news.com.au
09 Oct 2008
A O'Brien
Area: Perth, Western Australia - Map It

The mysterious deaths of 300 seagulls that dropped from the sky in July in two beachside suburbs south of Perth may never be explained. The state's Department of Environment and Conservation confirmed yesterday that two months of exhaustive investigations, including dozens of autopsies, interstate forensic testing and pollution inspections at nearby businesses, had failed to identify a cause. The deaths closed the popular Woodman Point beach for more than two weeks amid fears of a threat to human health. Almost 150 seagulls were found dead on the beach on July 21. The death toll reached 230 after three days and 282 a week later. No other bird species were affected.

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37 ducks found dead at stormwater pond
Thisweek - www.thisweeklive.com
02 Oct 2008
A Miller
Area: Apple Valley, Dakota County, Minnesota, USA - Map It

Officials: Mallards likely killed by avian botulism

Thirty-seven ducks were found dead at a stormwater pond on Saturday at 153rd Street and Galaxie Avenue in Apple Valley. The ducks, all mallards, were likely killed by avian botulism, a paralytic disease caused by a naturally occurring bacteria often found in pond sediments, officials said this week. “The symptoms are what you’d expect with the botulism,” said Jeff Kehrer, the city’s natural resources coordinator. Not all mallards at the pond were affected. There are 30 to 40 healthy mallards still at the pond, as well as three or four showing mild symptoms of avian botulism, Kehrer said.

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OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Image courtesy of Steve Stroud/Los Angeles Times

• Galapagos expels citizens as a flood of tourists threatens islands [slideshow]
• USDA and CDC sign North American Rabies Management Plan with Canada and Mexico [press release]
• Tests of more than 1,000 deer statewide find no more cases of chronic wasting disease
• 46 Geese Shot and Left in Soda Spring Dumpsters - Soda Springs, Caribou County, Idaho, USA - Map It
• Dead bird in county has virus - Jefferson County, Wisconsin, USA - Map It
• Second dolphin is found dead floating along the Navesink - Navesink River, Monmouth County, New Jersey, USA - Map It
• Genome Of A Monkey-human Malaria Parasite
• NOAA, Court Focus On Marine Mammals
• Four Corners on Alert After Man Contracts Bubonic Plague
• Woman with rare virus doing better [Hantavirus]