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White Nose Syndrome Confirmed In Bats From Western Maryland Cave
Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) biologists have confirmed that bat carcasses collected from a cave near Cumberland on March 5, 2010 were infected with White Nose Syndrome (WNS).
“This is the first confirmed WNS case in Maryland. DNR will implement a regimen of restricted access and decontamination procedures for all known bat locations,” said DNR Veterinarian Cindy Driscoll. “DNR has also encouraged the owners of the Cumberland cave to prohibit all access to the site.”
The four dead bats collected at the cave by DNR biologists were submitted to National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wis. for diagnostic evaluation of suspected WNS. The bats tested positive for Geomyces destructans, the fungus known to be the causative agent of skin lesions observed in WNS-affected bats. The center has confirmed the characteristic lesions of WNS in these bats.
18 March 2010
Image courtesy of Maryland DNR
. . . A loss of forests and food sources has for years thinned the number of monarchs coming to Mexico. But scientists fear that a new pattern of punishing winter storms may mark the start of an irreversible decline of the transcontinental migration.
In early February, normally one of Mexico's driest months, 15 inches of precipitation fell on hilly central regions, battering monarch reserves with snow, sleet and freezing rain.
Fewer butterflies arrived this year than ever before, and as many as half of them are thought to have perished in February.
. . . "Will butterflies come back? Yes, but the numbers will be so vanishingly small that it may mean the end of this spectacular phenomenon," Taylor added.
18 March 2010
P Rucker
Photo credit: A Winning/Reuters
Location: Mexico - Map It
>>> FULL ARTICLE
More Extreme Weather Affecting Wildlife
>>> Fears harsh winter harmed UK wildlife
Crow deaths investigated
A rash of crow deaths in Florence has caught the attention of health and wildlife officials.
Florence city spokesman Phil Stevens said employees of the city's street department collected 15 dead crows Thursday.
. . . "With no one reporting seeing any sick birds, only dead ones, my initial suspicion is the deaths were caused by something that was fast-acting, like a pesticide," Hudson said. "Usually, when it's a virus or disease that causes the death, there will also be sick and dying birds in the area."
19 March 2010
D Sherer
Location: Florence, Alabama, USA - Map It
>>> FULL ARTICLE
>>> Researchers look for answers to bird kill on Mississippi River [audio broadcast available here - requires RealPlayer; Location: La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA - Map It
; Dubuque, Iowa, USA - Map It ]TOP READ LINKS FROM LAST WEEK
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- All-black penguin discovered
- In the Spotlight Feature: Wildlife Health Newsmaker Interview with Lewis Gilbert [pdf]
- Suit blames Texas for whooping crane die-off
- Bird flu outbreak reported in five countries
- Nine Snake Species Proposed as Injurious Wildlife
- Marten the culprit in Sado's ibis deaths
- Desperate Efforts to Save Endangered Bats May Fail
- Veterinary Parasitology - 25 March 2010 [table of contents]
- A novel non-invasive tool for disease surveillance of free-ranging whales and its relevance to conservation programs
- Should we be trying to save the dodo?
- Climate change increases the likelihood of catastrophic avian mortality events during extreme heat waves
OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo credit: A Blackburn/Rex Features
The week in wildlife [image gallery]- Thousands of turtles invade Indian beach [annual mass nesting for egg laying; video]
- Rabies, animal - Palestinian Authority: wolf [Jenin, Palestinian Territory, West Bank - Map It ]
- Rabies, wildlife - USA (05): (TX) bat, canine exposure [Nueces County, Texas, USA - Map It ; Zapata County, Texas, USA - Map It ; Webb County, Texas, USA - Map It ]
- Most federal actions to protect endangered fishes in California Bay-Delta 'scientifically justified,' but additional clarification needed [full report available here]
- Flat-headed cat of southeast Asia is now endangered
- Earlier Butterfly Emergence Linked to Climate Change [cited journal article here]
- US proposal to ban polar bear trade voted down at UN wildlife meeting
- ‘Boulder bunnies’ prove flexible amid warming
