TOP STORIES
At least 40 out of 80 pilot whales that stranded themselves on a remote northern New Zealand beach have died, and more whales are joining them on land, officials said Wednesday.
It was the second mass beaching in the region in a month.
"More whales are still coming in. Pilot whales have very strong social bonds and they try to help each other so more keep getting stuck," said Mark Simpson of Project Jonah, a charity that protects marine mammals.
Yahoo! News - news.yahoo.com [Source: Associated Press]
22 Sept 2010
Photo courtesy of New Zealand Dept. of Conservation
Location: Spirits Bay, New Zealand - Map It 
The deaths of three tigers and two lions in less than a week has prompted an investigation by national park authorities in India.
Two tigers have died of "bacterial infection", while a third tiger and two lions died of old age at Bennerghatta national park, a wildlife official said.
The park has been disinfected and staff asked to maintain hygiene, he said.
BBC News - www.bbc.co.uk
21 Sept 2010
Photo courtesy of BBC News
Location: Bennerghatta National Park, Karnataka, India - Map It
The water in the canals and irrigation channels in the L'Albufera Natural Park in Valencia contain cocaine, ecstasy and a further six drugs.
This has been confirmed by a study carried out by researchers from the University of Valencia (UV), who have issued a warning about the continued presence of these substances on wildlife and human health.
"The results confirm the presence of drugs such as cocaine, amphetamines, codeine, morphine and cannabis in the surface waters of the L'Albufera National Park at levels ranging between 0.06 and 78.78 nanograms/litre," Yolanda Picó, lead author of the study and a senior professor in the Department of Nutrition and Bromatology at the UV said.
Science Daily - www.sciencedaily.com
22 Sept 2010
Photo credit: Y Pico, et al.
Journal Article Cited
Analysis of seagull droppings has revealed that one in ten carry 'superbug' bacteria, resistant to the last-resort antibiotic Vancomycin.
Researchers writing in BioMed central's open access journal Proteome Science investigated 57 migratory seagull samples recovered from an island off the coast of Portugal.
. . . The seagulls studied (Larus cachinnans) are migratory birds that can be found across Europe, including the South East of England. They are opportunistic marine feeders, and will readily eat the food sources provided by humans, especially garbage.
Science Daily - www.sciencedaily.com
20 Sept 2010
Photo courtesy of Reuters
Journal Article Cited
OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo credit: J Keilgast/Natural History Museum of Denmark/Conservation International- Montana Landowners & Hunters Asked to Report Dead or Dying Deer [Montana, USA - Map It ]
- Feds Mull Trade Ban of Amphibians to Control Chytrid Fungus [USA]
- Night Light Pollution Affect Songbirds' Mating Life, Research Suggests
- Salinity rise in water driving crocs to stray from habitats [Orissa, India]
- Taking the pulse of coral reefs
- Scientists uncover process enabling toxoplasmosis parasite to survive homelessness
- Workshop addresses veterinarians' roles in global health
- Emerging Infectious Diseases Pose Current and Future Challenges
- Biodiversity Talks Bog Down over Genetic Resources [United Nations]
- Entering its Fifth Decade, Wildlife Trust Re-brands as EcoHealth Alliance
- ‘Roadkill’ Project Aims to Help Wildlife [California, USA]
- 3 'extinct' amphibians rediscovered [Mexico, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo]
