TOP STORIES
A small portion of Digest readers responded to our poll question, What should we do with the 'It Ain't All Bad News' and 'That's Interesting' portions of the Digest? Of those who participated, the majority indicated that they wanted to keep these news sections. In light of this response, the WDIN staff will continue to provide these stories but at less frequent intervals. Readers can expect to see these kinds of feel-good stories once to twice a month.
We understand that amidst all the sad news related to wildlife disease, it is reassuring to find stories of hope and success, even if they are few and far between.
Thank you for your participation,
WDIN Staff
Broad researchers have sequenced and assembled the genome of Geomyces destructans, or white nose fungus, the pathogen involved in the death of over one million bats in the northeastern United States.
They have made the genomic data public in an effort to aid those who hope to stop the spread of white nose syndrome, which threatens to destroy more bat populations.
“The genome should rapidly advance our understanding of this pathogen, but is only a first look,” said the Broad’s Fungal Genomics group leader Christina Cuomo. “The hope is that the genome will be a platform to jumpstart work on this problem, to help devise ways to track and combat this fungus."
Broad Institute - www.broadinstitute.org
H Bridger
16 Sept 2010
Photo credit: N Heaslip/NY Dept. of Environment
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will begin providing more detailed reports of the birds rescued and collected during the response to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, providing a species-by-species breakdown and maps of where the birds were collected, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland announced today.
. . . The initial report released by the Fish and Wildlife Service today showed that as of September 14, 2010, a total of 3,634 dead birds and 1,042 live birds have been found in areas affected by the Deepwater Horizon spill. These numbers are subject to verification and cannot be considered final. Of the dead birds, the largest numbers are laughing gulls, followed by brown pelicans and northern gannets.
These numbers will be updated as the team of biologists continues the verification process which can take several weeks.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Virtual News Room - onlinepressroom.net/fws
15 Sept 2010
More Gulf Oil Spill News
OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
- The week in wildlife [image gallery]
- Long-lived bird flu stays on surfaces
- Did Pollution Turn British Swan Into a Serial Killer?
- New Carcass Movement Flexibility in CWD Management Zone [Wisconsin, USA]
- Coral Disease Outbreaks Linked To Winter Temperatures, Not Just Warm Summers
- Toxic algae bloom poisons dog [Middle Foy's Lake, Montana, USA]
- 500,000 gallons of sewage spills into Pasquotank River [no report on wildlife fatalities; North Carolina, USA]
- The Population Factor in Wildlife Diseases and their Transmission to Man
- Center integrates human, animal, environmental health [Illinois, USA]
It Ain't All Bad NewsPhoto credit: H Wright
