Wildlife Disease News Digest

TOP STORIES

Deadly litter killing wildlife
Wildlife Extra - www.wildlifeextra.com
30 Sep 2008
Image courtesy of Ron Patterson/SSPCA
Area: England, United Kingdom

To mark this year's World Animal Day on Saturday 4th October, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust is highlighting the dangers litter poses to our wild animals. John Sutton, the Trust's Senior Waste Minimisation Officer said "There are many ways in which animals and wildlife can be harmed by litter. Animals can be cut by sharp objects like cans or broken glass, strangled by plastic can holders or fishing lines, suffocated inside plastic bags, choked or poisoned on ingested plastics or cigarette butts, or trapped inside containers like cans and bottles." "Every year animal welfare and wildlife rescue charities treat animals that have been trapped and/or injured by carelessly disposed of rubbish," he adds.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Marine 'dead zones' leave crabs gasping
NewScientist - environment.newscientist.com
29 Sep 2008
C Brahic

It's not easy being a fish these days, but it could be even harder being a crab. Research into marine "dead zones" around the world suggests that crustaceans are the first to gasp for air when oxygen levels get low. The findings, based on a review of 872 published studies of 206 ocean-floor dwelling species, also suggest that a much greater area than we thought is dangerously low on oxygen. In marine dead zones – also known as hypoxic zones – the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water becomes too low for organisms to survive.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Cited Journal Articles
>>>Spreading Dead Zones and Consequences for Marine Ecosystems. Science. 2008 Aug 15;
321(5891): 926-929.
>>>Thresholds of hypoxia for marine biodiversity. PNAS. 2008 Sep 29; ePub ahead of print.

Reported Wildlife Mortality Events to the USGS National Wildlife Health Center Updated
USGS National Wildlife Health Center
30 Sep 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 Sep 30, 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

Dead pigeon tests postive for West Nile
Macomb Journal - macombjournal.com
29 Sep 2008
Area: Macomb, McDonough County, Illinois, USA - Map It

A dead pigeon found Sept. 18 in Macomb has been confirmed as the first bird to test positive in McDonough County this year for West Nile virus (WNV). Due to the potential threat of West Nile virus, the McDonough County Health Department is urging citizens to take precautions and protect themselves from West Nile virus. West Nile virus is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito that has become infected by feeding on an infected bird. Most people with the virus have no clinical symptoms of illness, but some may become ill 3-14 days after the bite of an infected mosquito.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Related News
>>>Researchers link home foreclosures to West Nile virus outbreaks

OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Image courtesy of Noam Kortler/Wildlife Photos of the Year - Sky News