TOP STORIES

Mysterious whale die-off is largest on record

Mass death among baby right whales has experts scrambling to figure out the puzzle behind the largest great whale die-off on record.

Observers have found 308 dead whales in the waters around Peninsula Valdes along Argentina's Patagonian Coast since 2005. Almost 90 percent of those deaths represent whale calves less than 3 months old, and the calf deaths make up almost a third of all right whale calf sightings in the last five years.

"This is the single largest die-off event in terms of numbers and in relation to population size and geographic range," said Marcela Uhart, a medical veterinarian with the Wildlife Conservation Society.

Live Science - www.livescience.com
29 March 2010
J Hsu
Photo credit: New England Aquarium/AP
Location: Península Valdés, Chubut, Argentina - Map It

>>> FULL ARTICLE

More Marine Mammal News
>>> Dead dolphin washes ashore at Pensacola [includes video, Location: Pensacola Bay, Florida, USA - Map It ]
>>> Dolphin found dead on beach at Pawleys [Location: Pawley's Island, South Carolina, USA - Map It ]
>>> Ship Struck Whale Days Before One Washed Ashore [Fenwick Island, Delaware, USA]

International task force concerned over declining support for H5N1 monitoring, despite disease persistence and spread

An international team of experts has warned that while more is known today about the role of wild birds in the spread of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus than ever before, significant information gaps remain unfilled as government and public attention is shifting elsewhere.

"Waning attention to H5N1 HPAI is reducing surveillance and research opportunities, negatively affecting capacity building and coordination between environmental and agricultural authorities, and impacting efforts to further refine understanding of the epidemiology and the ecology of the virus," the Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds said in a statement following a review meeting held at FAO's Rome headquarters.

. . . "Unfortunately, H5N1 may have slipped off the radar screen for some people, but it continues to be a major problem, especially in Egypt and parts of Asia, where it is having a huge impact on food security and the livelihoods of farmers and local communities," said Juan Lubroth, FAO's Chief Veterinary Officer.

FAO Media Centre - www.fao.org/news [Submitted by the Australian Wildlife Health Network]
23 March 2010
Photo credit: JM Garg/Wikimedia Commons

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Related News
>>> Barn swallow suspected to have H5 virus [Location: Yuen Long, Hong Kong - Map It ]

Elk Brucellosis Infection may be increasing in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Brucellosis, a bacterial infection of cattle, elk and bison, appears to be increasing in several elk populations in northwestern Wyoming, according to a U.S. Geological Survey study recently released in the publication Ecological Applications.

. . . Biologists have known that brucellosis in parts of the ecosystem was sustained by abnormal densities and restricted winter distribution of elk that congregate on feeding grounds in Wyoming. Bison populations also independently maintain brucellosis irrespective of population size.

The new research shows that brucellosis may also be increasing in some elk populations that are distant from supplemental feeding grounds and bison.

USGS Newsroom - www.usgs.gov/newsroom
29 March 2010
Photo courtesy of USGS

>>> FULL ARTICLE

New mathematical model helps biologists understand how coral dies in warming waters

Cornell University researchers have found a new tool to help marine biologists better grasp the processes under the sea: They have created mathematical models to unveil the bacterial community dynamics behind afflictions that bleach and kill coral.

Warming waters are triggering coral bleaching and disease in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Great Barrier Reef off the Australian coast. Now new mathematical models explain for the first time how beneficial bacteria on coral suddenly give way to pathogens when waters warm.

"Before this study, we just had observations but little understanding of the mechanism" for what causes coral disease and bleaching, said Laura Jones, Cornell senior research associate in ecology and evolutionary biology.

EurekAlert! - www.eurekalert.org
29 March 2010

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Journal Article Cited
How Microbial Community Composition Regulates Coral Disease Development. PLoS Biology. 8(3): e1000345.

More Ocean News
>>> Rising acid threatens oceans [cited journal article here]

OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo credit: F Maffucci

• Badger TB vaccine granted official approval
• Whooping cranes will be tracked with GPS units to study their habits and hazards
• Hard-to-kill snails infest Santa Monica Mountain watersheds
• Folk medicine poses global threat to primate species
• The Secret of Turtle Island [sea turtles]
• Singapore a key transit hub for wildlife smuggling
• Yellowstone National Park Developing "Native Fish Conservation Plan"

Bat News

• Alabama bat colonies free of deadly fungal disease so far
• Bats retune echolocation and use sun's glow to navigate near and far [includes video, cited journal articles here and here]

Huh, That's Interesting!

• Hyenas' Laughter Signals Deciphered

WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED PUBLICATIONS
Browse complete Digest publication library here.

Australian dingoes are definitive hosts of Neospora caninum
International Journal for Parasitology. 2010 [Epub ahead of print]
JS King et al.

How Microbial Community Composition Regulates Coral Disease Development
PLoS Biol. 2010; 8(3): e1000345.[free full-text available]
J Mao-Jones et al.

Spatio-temporal overlap between Yellowstone bison and elk – implications of wolf restoration and other factors for brucellosis transmission risk
Journal of Applied Ecology. 2010; 47(2): 281-289
KM Proffitt et al.

Surveillance for West Nile virus in American white pelicans, Montana, USA, 2006-2007
Emerg Infect Dis. 2010 Mar;16(3):406-11. [free full-text available]
G Johnson et al.

Diseases of Aquatic Organisms
Volume 89, Number 2

TOP STORIES

Death of coral reefs could devastate nations
Coral reefs are dying, and scientists and governments around the world are contemplating what will happen if they disappear altogether.

The idea positively scares them.

Coral reefs are part of the foundation of the ocean food chain. Nearly half the fish the world eats make their homes around them.

Google News - www.google/hostednews.com (Source: Associated Press) 26 Mar 2010 B Skoloff
Photo credit: AP Photo/U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, HO

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Related News
>>>Warm waters bleach corals [first recorded major coral bleaching event at world’s southern-most coral reef. ]
>>>Cyclone Oli Deals Major Blow to French Polynesia's Coral Reefs

Evidence for a new species of Cryptosporidium infecting tortoises: Cryptosporidium ducismarci

Cryptosporidiosis affects the gastrointestinal and respiratory tract of humans as well as of a wide range of companion, farm, laboratory and wild animals. In the past few years, three independent studies have provided strong evidence for the existence of a distinct Cryptosporidium species affecting tortoises and likely circulating in other reptile species as well.

A new Cryptosporidium genotype was firstly detected and genetically characterized in a marginated tortoise in Italy in 2007 and named Cryptosporidium sp. ex Testudo marginata CrIT-20.

7th Space Interactive - 7thspace.com
25 March 2010

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Journal Article Cited
Evidence for a new species of Cryptosporidium infecting tortoises: Cryptosporidium ducismarci. Parasites & Vectors. 25 March 2010. 21(3).

More Amphibian News
>>> Increasingly Threatened Loggerheads Follow Their Own Paths in Travel, Eating

Reported Wildlife Mortality Events to the USGS National Wildlife Health Center Updated

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 March 25, 2010 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.

USGS National Wildlife Health Center
29 Mar 2010
Area: United States

>>> Updated Wildlife Mortality Event Table

Homeland security department renews animal disease centers in Texas, Kansas

Efforts to protect the nation from potentially catastrophic animal diseases – some of which are transmissible to humans – will continue with a $21 million package from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to Texas A&M University and Kansas State University.

The monies will support the homeland security department’s Center of Excellence for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense at the universities through 2016.

Based at Texas A&M, the National Center for Foreign Animal and Zoonotic Disease Defense, or FAZD Center, has led a consortium of universities and institutions in efforts aimed at protecting American agriculture and public health since 2004.

AgriLife News - agnews.tamu.edu 26 Mar 2010 K Phillips

>>>FULL ARTICLE

OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo credit: Célio FB Haddad

• New to nature No 4: Brachycephalus pitanga
• Chlamydia, AIDS, and Deforestation Threatening Koalas in Australia
• Small birds suffered during Britain's big chill, RSPB survey reveals
• Folk medicine poses global threat to primate species
• Beyond badgers' furry faces, a hard call
• Tundra swans migrate north early this year [audio clip here, need Real Media Player]
• Climate change project using common loons as a sentinel
• Caterpillar Of Land And Stream Discovered
• Aquatic Ecosystems Threatened by the Size of Non-Native Fish

It Ain't All Bad News

• As California ghost town sinks, wildlife return

WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED PUBLICATIONS
Browse complete Digest publication library here.

Avian Diseases - March 2010
Volume 54, Number 1

Emerging Infectious Diseases - April 2010
Volume 16, Number 4

White-Nose Syndrome: New Locations in Canada, Maryland and Tennessee Confirmed
USGS National Wildlife Health Center - Wildlife Health Bulletin [pdf]

A new isolate of beak and feather disease virus from endemic wild red-fronted parakeets (Cyanoramphus novaezelandiae) in New Zealand
Arch Virol. 2010 Feb 24. [Epub ahead of print]
L Ortiz-Catedral et al.

Identification of SARS-like coronaviruses in horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus hipposideros) in Slovenia
Arch Virol. 2010 Mar 10. [Epub ahead of print]
D Rihtarič et al.

Avian influenza virus isolates from wild birds replicate and cause disease in a mouse model of infection
Virology. 2010 Apr 10; 399(2): 280-289
EA Driskell et al.

TOP STORIES

Athlete’s foot therapy tapped to treat bat-killing fungus

Over the past four years, a mysterious white-nose fungus has struck hibernating North American bats.

Populations in affected caves and mines can experience death rates of more than 80 percent over a winter.

In desperation, an informal interagency task force of scientists from state and federal agencies has just launched an experimental program to fight the plague. Their weapon: a drug ordinarily used to treat athlete’s foot.

Science News - www.sciencenews.org
22 March 2010
J Raloff
Photo credit: S McCormick

>>> FULL ARTICLE

White-Nose Syndrome: New Locations in Canada, Maryland and Tennessee Confirmed

The USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) has confirmed that samples from bats collected at five new locations, three in Ontario, Canada, one in Maryland and a new site in Tennessee are infected with the fungus Geomyces destructans, the likely cause of white-nose syndrome (WNS).

This is the first time the disease has been documented in Canada and Maryland. Tennessee was only recently added to the list of new states with confirmed cases of WNS in bats (WHB 2010-01), bringing the total number of states that have confirmed WNS to 11.

The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) announced the detection of WNS at three Ontario sites March 23 at: Current Status of White Nose Syndrome in Ontario.

USGS National Wildlife Health Center Wildlife Health Bulletin
25 March 2010
Photo courtesy of Orangeville Citizen
Location: Kirkland Lake - Map It, Bancroft-Minden Map It, and Flesherton Map It, Ontario, Canada

>>> FULL BULLETIN

>>> Link to all USGS NWHC Wildlife Health Bulletins

More Bat News

>>> Bat killing disease discovered in Canada
>>> Disease forcing bats out [Ontario, Canada]
>>> Dunbar Cave closed over fungus [Tennessee, USA]
>>> Bats at risk
>>> Disease, wind turbines menace bat population

New disease threatens parrots

New Zealand’s endangered parrots could be under further threat from a new genotype of a virulent disease that scientists at the University of Canterbury have recently helped identify.

The scientists are calling for urgent action to protect native parrot populations and are calling on conservation authorities to monitor the incidence of infection.

Dr Arvind Varsani, Dr Melanie Massaro and Dr Brigitta Kurenbach (Biological Sciences) have been working with Massey University PhD candidate Luis Ortiz-Catedral, who has been monitoring and documenting the incidence of beak and feather disease virus (BFDV) in the endangered New Zealand parrot, the red-fronted parakeet.

Science Alert - www.sciencealert.com [source: University of Canterbury]
24 March 2010
Photo courtesy of iStockphoto

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Journal Article Cited
A new isolate of beak and feather disease virus from endemic wild red-fronted parakeets in New Zealand. Archives of Virology. Published online 24 February 2010.

Related Journal Article
A unique isolate of beak and feather disease virus isolated from budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) in South Africa. Archives of Virology. March 2010. 155(3): 435-439.

Disease may have killed whale

The male of a rarely seen whale species that beached itself on Maui may have died of disease, a marine mammal expert said yesterday.

Lab tests will confirm whether the death was a "natural process," but the results will not be available for some months, said David Schofield, marine mammal response coordinator with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Witnesses reported the whale thrashing about violently at Hamoa Beach near Hana on Monday afternoon. Within 10 minutes, they said, the whale stopped moving, according to Schofield.

Star-Bulletin - www.starbulletin.com
25 March 2010
Photo courtesy of NOAA Fisheries
Location: Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii, USA - Map It

>>> FULL ARTICLE

TOP READ LINKS FROM LAST WEEK

News

1. High Arctic Species on Thin Ice
2. Researchers Turn Mosquitoes Into Flying Vaccinators
3. The week in wildlife
4. Mysterious bat-killing illness previously seen in the U.S. now in Ontario
5. Flat-headed cat of southeast Asia is now endangered
6. Internet is biggest threat to endangered species, say conservationists
7. City pollution harms sea turtles
8. Wolf-born hydatid disease: Fact versus fallacy
9. Supreme Court Kicks Quickly Spreading Asian Carp Off Its Menu
10. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service invests $8.9 million in Texas
    

Publications

1. Pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment: A critical review of the evidence for health effects in fish
2. Avian Diseases
3. The Wildlife Society: Wildlife Professional - March 2010

OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo credit: J Hordle/Rex Features

• The week in wildlife
• Mountain goat numbers holding steady [Idaho, USA]
• Ask the Experts: Elizabeth Capaldi Evans on bees
• More tropical algae found in Murray outbreak [Murray River, Victoria, Australia]
• Central Africa: Gorillas Could Disappear in 15 Years, UN Agency Warns

U.N. Wildlife Summit

• Trade beats conservation at U.N. wildlife talks
• Factbox: Trade decisions by U.N. wildlife talks
• Fishy business: How the elephants’ success hurt the bluefin tuna

Chronic Wasting Disease

• Report shows CWD still a concern [Wisconsin, USA]
• Hunters key in controlling disease in deer [North Dakota, USA]

Huh, That's Interesting!

• Scientists Believe Birds Can Teach Us About Healthy Eating
• A census of the deep sea world beyond sunlight [video]
  

In the Spotlight - Celebrating the Career of Dr. Robert McLean

In Recognition of One Man's Career Contributions to Wildlife Health


This week, WDIN would like to honor and shine the spotlight on Dr. Robert G. McLean who retired after 43 years of service to the United States Government on January 1, 2010. During his tenure as Director of the USGS National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC; 1998-2002), Dr. McLean was instrumental in the initiation of the NBII Wildlife Disease Information Node, and has actively supported its work since that time. He has also worked closely with WDIN partner, the Wildlife Information Network in the United Kingdom, producing volumes in the Wildpro series of electronic resources.

Bob McLean received Bachelors and Masters degrees from Bowling Green State University, followed by a PhD in Ecology from Pennsylvania State University in 1966. After serving as a US Army Captain at the Ft. McPherson Medical Laboratory, he became an Epidemiologic Intelligence Service (EIS) officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA. For the next 26 years, Bob worked as a Research Ecologist in many areas and locations within CDC, primarily with rabies and arboviral diseases. These duties involved numerous international assignments and field investigations in Central and South America, as well as Africa. In 1996, he became the Bird Research Program Manager at the USDA National Wildlife Research Center in Ft. Collins, CO, supervising work to limit problems caused by locally abundant bird populations. Bob returned to the wildlife disease arena as Director of the NWHC just in time to play a major role in identifying and addressing the threats posed by the arrival of West Nile Virus in the United States. He continued this work, as well as shifting his focus to new concerns about Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, after returning to USDA as the Wildlife Disease Research Program Manager in 2002.

Dr. McLean’s reputation as a distinguished arbovirologist and disease ecologist is evidenced by his extensive publication record, countless presentations made at national and international meetings, as well as providing expert testimony to the US Congress. He has served in many important capacities on governmental panels and in professional organizations, including President of the Wildlife Disease Association.

To recognize his outstanding career, a Retirement Celebration for Dr. McLean was held at the Colorado State University on Saturday March 20, 2010. We extend WDIN’s best wishes to Bob on this occasion, thank him for his efforts to enhance wildlife disease information products, and hope that he will continue to be a friend and supporter in the future.

TOP STORIES

No chronic wasting disease found in NH deer

New Hampshire's white-tailed deer population once again showed no evidence of chronic wasting disease, based on monitoring data gathered during the 2009 hunting season.

New Hampshire Fish and Game deer biologist Kent Gustafson recently received results from a federally certified veterinary diagnostic laboratory that indicate all the deer tissue samples taken during last fall's hunting season tested negative for CWD. A total of 439 tissue samples were tested.

The Eagle Tribune - www.eagletribune.com
24 Mar 2010
Location: New Hampshire, USA

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Related News

NDGF seeks to learn more about extent of CWD in state [North Dakota, USA]

Bees in more trouble than ever after bad winter

The mysterious 4-year-old crisis of disappearing honeybees is deepening. A quick federal survey indicates a heavy bee die-off this winter, while a new study shows honeybees' pollen and hives laden with pesticides.

Two federal agencies along with regulators in California and Canada are scrambling to figure out what is behind this relatively recent threat, ordering new research on pesticides used in fields and orchards. Federal courts are even weighing in this month, ruling that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency overlooked a requirement when allowing a pesticide on the market.

And on Thursday, chemists at a scientific conference in San Francisco will tackle the issue of chemicals and dwindling bees in response to the new study.

Yahoo News - news.yahoo.com (source: Associated Press)
24 Mar 2010
G Burke and S Borenstein

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Closing caves, sparing bats: Public agencies hope to slow devastation of white-nose syndrome

... The state Game and Fish Commission voted last week to close caves on its lands and natural areas it manages for the state to the public. At Devil's Den State Park, the Devil's Den and Devil's Icebox are still open to visitors but Farmer's Cave is shut and concerns are growing about the Devil's Den and Icebox, park naturalist Adam Leslie said. Visitors to the park are being asked if they've been to Tennessee or other fungus-infected states, Leslie said; those numbers are low, fortunately.

David Kampwerth, the cave and karst biologist in the Arkansas office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, says the closures have limited “quite a bit of caving activity” in Arkansas and sent spelunkers to caves on private lands. One of the concerns of cave biologists is that cavers may not be decontaminating their gear as the move from cave to cave. The USFWS recommends that cavers wash all gear, apply disinfectants and wash again to remove the disinfectants.

Arkansas Times - www.arktimes.com
25 Mar 2010
N Peacock
Location: Arkansas, USA

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Related News

Test Confirms Bat Disease In Western Md. Cave [Maryland, USA]

OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED STORIES

• Wolf-born hydatid disease: Fact versus fallacy
• Bald eagle dies after smashing into van on U.S. 31 [Michigan, USA - Map It ]
• Lion tests negative for disease [Rabies][Colorado, USA]
• Fishing Discard Ban Could Damage Sea Bird Success, Scientists Warn

It Ain't All Bad News

• New cryptic gecko species is discovered in Cambodia
• CITES backs Kenya's proposal on rhino protection
• Rare Worthen's sparrow nest sites found in Mexico

Huh, That's Interesting!

• First Amphibious Insects Found in Hawaii: But no one knows how the bugs breathe underwater
• Bird Bones May Be Hollow, but They Are Also Heavy

WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED PUBLICATIONS
Browse complete Digest publication library here.

The Wildlife Society: Wildlife Policy News - February 2010
Volume 20, Issue 1

The Wildlife Society: The Wildlifer - March 2010
Issue 306

Climate Change and Wildlife Health: Direct and Indirect Effects [fact sheet][pdf]
USGS National Wildlife Health Center

Avian Diseases - March 2010
Special Issue on Avian Influenza
Volume 54, Number s1

A Qualitative Study of State-Level Zoonotic Disease Surveillance in New England
Zoonoses Public Health. 2010 Feb 16. [Epub ahead of print]
M Scotch et al.

Molecular Detection of Avian Influenza Virus but not West Nile Virus in Wild Birds in Northern Turkey
Zoonoses Public Health. 2010 Mar 8. [Epub ahead of print]
H Albayrak and E Ozan

B cells and platelets harbor prion infectivity in the blood of CWD-infected deer
J Virol. 2010 Mar 10. [Epub ahead of print]
CK Mathiason et al.

Surveillance and characterization of low pathogenic H5 avian influenza viruses isolated from wild migratory birds in Korea
Virus Res. 2010 Mar 11. [Epub ahead of print]
YH Baek et al.

TOP STORIES

Chronic wasting disease is here

. . . North Dakota is no longer CWD free. Last fall a deer hunter in unit 3F2 (west side of Missouri River, bordering South Dakota) killed a mule deer buck that appeared to be sick.

He reported it and test samples were taken of the deer and tested along with the state’s regular testing protocol that included 3,000 samples taken this year.

Last week, after testing only two thirds of those samples, the test result from that sick mule deer came up positive for CWD.

The rest of the samples will be tested over the next month.

Daily News - www.wahpetondailynews.com
22 March 2010
C Wells
Location: Sioux County, North Dakota, USA - Map It

>>> FULL ARTICLE

Related News
>>> Chronic wasting disease found in North Dakota
>>> Alta. finds CWD cases roaming south, west [Location: Alberta, Canada - Map It ]
>>> Chronic Wasting Disease Test Results Negative in White-tailed Deer on Property in Linn County [Missouri, USA]

City pollution harms sea turtles

University of Queensland researchers have discovered that one of the effects of inceased human population is stress being placed on the environment leading to sick turtles.

Staff from the Veterinary Marine Animal Research, Teaching and Investigation (Vet-MARTI) unit within the School of Veterinary Science have been conducting an in-depth investigation to determine the diseases and causes of death in green and loggerhead turtles in Southern Queensland.

Director of Vet-MARTI, Dr Mark Flint, has found that these turtles are dying due to the environment they live in, rather than from the ingestion of foreign items.

Science Alert - www.sciencealert.com.au
24 March 2010
Photo credit: iStockphoto

>>> FULL ARTICLE

How Will Climate Change Affect Arctic Migrations?

. . . The teeming waters are among the richest in the world yet the least studied because of difficulties overcoming months of dark days and impassable frozen seas.

Arctic scientists say they've just begun to document the polar cap's biological diversity. They don't know how the animals are responding to global warming, where they're feeding, how their icy habitat has been affected or how the ecosystem's food web has changed.

The researchers want to fill crucial data gaps so that they can advise how best to safeguard the wild Arctic. Protection is crucial, they say, as the Northwest Passage begins to open year round and increasing access offers new chances for development. Nations, including the United States, are clamoring to exploit oil and gas resources, rich fish supplies and tourist and commercial vessel trade.

Scientific American - www.scientificamerican.com
23 March 2010
J Kay and The Daily Climate
Photo credit: J Blumenfeld/EPA

>>> FULL ARTICLE

OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo credit: T Williams

• Fin whale's carcass washes ashore at Fenwick Island [Location: Fenwick Island, Delaware, USA - Map It ]
• Scientists Find New Form of Prion Disease that Damages Brain Arteries [cited journal article here]
• Zoo officials respond to pelican deaths [Location: Santa Barbara, California, USA - Map It ]
• More rabies cases in east Orange County [Location: Orange County, Florida, USA - Map It ]
• Supreme Court Kicks Quickly Spreading Asian Carp Off Its Menu
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service invests $8.9 million in Texas
• EPA to Restrict Cancer-Causing Chemicals In Water
  
• UN adds iguanas, tree frogs and other terrestrial species to endangered list
• Rare Hawaiian Monk Seal Brought to Marine Lab for Study and Treatment

Huh, That's Interesting!

• Museum of Nature & Science Announces Oldest Definitive Bird Fossils in North America Found in North Texas
• Could smell play a role in the origin of new bird species?
• Aquatic invasion: Scientists find first amphibious insect species

WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED PUBLICATIONS
Browse complete Digest publication library here.

Journal of Wildlife Management - April 2010
Volume 74, Issue 3

The Wildlife Professional - Spring 2010
Volume 4, Number 1

Evidence for multiple recent host species shifts among the Ranaviruses (family Iridoviridae)
J Virol. 2010 Mar;84(6):2636-47. Epub 2009 Dec 30.
JK Jancovich et al.

Diversity, decoys and the dilution effect: how ecological communities affect disease risk
J Exp Biol. 2010 Mar;213(Pt 6):961-70.
PT Johnson and DW Thieltges

Avian Influenza A Virus Monitoring in Wild Birds in Bavaria: Occurrence and Heterogeneity of H5 and N1 Encoding Genes
Zoonoses Public Health. 2010 Mar 8. [Epub ahead of print]
V Lang et al.

Field detection of avian influenza virus in wild birds: Evaluation of a portable rRT-PCR system and freeze-dried reagents
J Virol Methods. 2010 Mar 4. [Epub ahead of print]
JY Takekawa et al

TOP STORIES

Mysterious bat-killing illness previously seen in the U.S. now in Ontario

A mysterious illness that has killed upwards of 500,000 bats in the northeastern United States has now been detected in the animals in Ontario.

The Ministry of Natural Resources is confirming the first case of bats with a disease known as white-nose syndrome in the Bancroft-Minden area, in eastern Ontario.

It is unknown exactly how the syndrome kills bats, but some researchers think the fungus acts as an irritant, causing the bat to awaken from its hibernation period early and often.

Canadian Press - www.winnipegfreepress.com
19 Mar 2010
Location: Ontario, Canada - Map It

>>>FULL ARTICLE

No more deaths as injured birds return to sanctuary after Friday fire

No additional birds died overnight as a result of a Friday morning fire that killed 156 birds at the Gilcrease Nature Sanctuary, an official with the sanctuary said Saturday.

Sandra Salinas, executive director of the sanctuary, said some of the injured birds were being brought back to the sanctuary near Durango Road and Grand Teton Drive.

A fire engulfed the northern edge of the 8-acre facility killing roughly 15 percent of the sanctuary's winged creatures, some of which were exotic and rare.

Las Vegas Review-Journal - www.lvrj.com
20 Mar 2010
A Planas
Photo credit: Gary Thompson/Las Vegas Review-Journal

>>>FULL ARTICLE

West Nile virus back in Los Angeles

Two dead birds have tested positive recently for West Nile virus in Los Angeles, indicating that the virus is back in the area, authorities said on Thursday.

"These two West Nile virus positive dead birds are evidence that West Nile virus continues to persist in Los Angeles," said Susanne Kluh of the Vector Control District, which tracks the movements of pests.

The cases are the first two documented in Los Angeles County this year, according to health officials.

People's Daily Online (English) - english.peopledaily.com.cn (Source: Xinhua)
19 Mar 2010
Location: Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA, USA - Map It

>>>FULL ARTICLE

OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo credit: Giovanni Marola/AFP/Getty Images

• Internet is biggest threat to endangered species, say conservationists
• World votes to continue trading in species on verge of extinction
• The Asian Animal Crisis
• Green Power sweeps away Green: Tidal Power Plant
• Fishing discard ban could damage sea bird success, scientists warn
• NH deer safe from CWD – so far
• Rabies (EBLV), Daubenton's bat - Sweden: (SN) OIE - Skane County, Sweden - Map It

Huh, That's Interesting!

• Bees see super color at super speed
• Phylogenetic Analysis of Mexican Cave Scorpions Suggests Adaptation to Caves Is Reversible [cited journal article here]
  

It Ain't All Bad News

• African Bird Discovery Proves There Is Something New Under the Sun
• Endangered California red-legged frog to receive large new protected habitat area -- finally
• Wolves on the prowl again in Western Europe

WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED PUBLICATIONS
Browse complete Digest publication library here.

Wildlife service plans for a warmer world [cited report here]
Nature. 2010 Mar 17; 464: 332-333
J Fang

Chronic Wasting Disease Update - Report 95
18 March 2010 [pdf] [free full-text available]
B Richards, USGS National Wildlife Health Center

GeoHealth - Winter 2009/2010
Volume 7, Number 2 [free full-text available]

Host Range, Prevalence, and Genetic Diversity of Adenoviruses in Bats
Journal of Virology. 2010 Apr; 84 (8): 3889-3897.
Y Li et al.

Species-Specific Inhibition of Foamy Viruses from South American Monkeys by New World Monkey TRIM5 Proteins
Journal of Virology. 2010 Apr; 84(8): 4095-4099.
B Pacheco et al.

The cause of global amphibian declines: a developmental endocrinologist's perspective
J Exp Biol. 2010 Mar;213(Pt 6):921-33.
TB Hayes et al.

TOP STORIES

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.

Maryland Department of Natural Resources - www.dnr.state.md.us
18 March 2010
Image courtesy of Maryland DNR

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More Bat News
>>> Two men plead guilty to killing endangered Indiana bats

Storms threaten butterflies' winter rest in Mexico

. . . 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.

Reuters - www.reuters.com
18 March 2010
P Rucker
Photo credit: A Winning/Reuters
Location: Mexico - Map It

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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."

The Times Daily - www.timesdaily.com
19 March 2010
D Sherer
Location: Florence, Alabama, USA - Map It

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More Bird News
>>> 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
News

1. All-black penguin discovered
2. In the Spotlight Feature: Wildlife Health Newsmaker Interview with Lewis Gilbert [pdf]
3. Suit blames Texas for whooping crane die-off
4. Bird flu outbreak reported in five countries
5. Nine Snake Species Proposed as Injurious Wildlife
6. Marten the culprit in Sado's ibis deaths
7. Desperate Efforts to Save Endangered Bats May Fail

Publications

1. Veterinary Parasitology - 25 March 2010 [table of contents]
2. A novel non-invasive tool for disease surveillance of free-ranging whales and its relevance to conservation programs
3. Should we be trying to save the dodo?
4. 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

• 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 ]

Endangered Wildlife

• 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

Wildlife and Climate Change

• 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

Huh, That's Interesting!

• Catching Evolution in the Act: Mating Choices Matter [video]
• Researchers Turn Mosquitoes Into Flying Vaccinators