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Wildlife, already struggling, faces fresh threat in disease
Yahoo!News - news.yahoo.com
7 Oct 2008
M Hood
Photo courtesy of AFP/File/Roberto Schmidt
From tiny tree frogs to gorillas, wild animals already facing extinction due to habitat loss, pollution and hunting must now cope with the added threat of virulent disease, conservation scientists said Tuesday...Outbreaks, for example, of Ebola and its close cousin the Marburg virus -- lethal to gorillas, chimpanzee and humans -- have been closely linked to unusual patterns in rainfall and dry seasons. There is no known cure for either disease, which cause painful internal hemorrhaging and high fevers. Increasingly frequent algae blooms known as "red tides", triggered by higher sea surface temperatures, create toxins that have killed massive numbers of fish, caused sea mammal to flounder, and increased mortality among penguins and sea birds.
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Help red squirrels, public urgedBBC News - www.bbc.co.uk
4 Oct 2008
Photo courtesy of BBC
The public are being urged to track the UK's red squirrel population to help protect it from a deadly virus. The Wildlife Trusts charity wants to guard against the threat posed to the UK's estimated 160,000 red squirrels by squirrel pox, carried by greys. By people reporting sightings of reds during Squirrel Week, which starts later, it hopes to identify areas where protective measures may be required.
CDC: Non-traditional pets pose health risk
United Press International - www.upi.com
6 Oct 2008
Many have turned to non-traditional pets because they are considered easier to care for, but these animals can pose health risks, U.S. officials say. Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention caution parents, pediatricians and veterinarians to be aware of the risks that exotic animals and pets can pose to children. A study published in the journal Pediatrics outlined the diseases that can be transmitted to children when they come in contact with reptiles, rodents, mammals, birds, amphibians, non-human primates and fish.
The Detroit News - www.detnews.com
8 Oct 2008
J Lynch
Image courtesy of T Summers/The Detroit News
Less than six months ago, Congress appeared on the verge of passing historic legislation to halt the introduction and spread of invasive species in the nation via ballast water. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly -- 395-7 -- to approve the Coast Guard Re-Authorization Act, which would have required ocean-going ships that travel the Great Lakes to treat their ballast before discharging it.But since then, differing opinions on which federal agency is best suited to deal with ballast water, taken in by ships for stability, have ground the machinery to a halt. The Senate version of the Reauthorization Act passed a subcommittee but went no further...Species like the round goby have already damaged the food chain by feasting on eggs of native fish and staking a claim to their habitats. Others, like the Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) virus, have killed off dozens of fish in several different areas of the Great Lakes.
Related News
>>>The high cost of aquatic invasive species
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OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
- Koi Herpesvirus disease outbreak confirmed [Press release] - Map It
- If we're lucky, we might see a banker [Just for fun]
WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED PUBLICATIONS
Protecting Black-Footed Ferrets and Prairie Dogs Against Sylvatic Plague
USGS National Wildlife Health Center(NWHC) - Fact Sheet [pdf]
Oct 2008
Thanks to the NWHC for sharing
Climate change and avian influenza
Rev Sci Tech. 2008 Aug;27(2):459-66 [online abstract only]
M Gilbert et al.
Zoo Animal and Wildlife Immobilization and Anesthesia [book review]
The Veterinary Journal. 2008 [ePub ahead of print][online abstract only]
Pathogens of domestic and free-ranging ungulates: global climate change in temperate to boreal latitudes across North America
Rev Sci Tech. 2008 Aug;27(2):459-66 [online abstract only]
EP Hoberg et al.
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