TOP STORIES
Flying drunk proves fatal for Romanian bird flock
There was nothing mysterious about the death of a flock of birds in Romania last week -- they were simply drunk, veterinarians said.
Residents of the Black Sea city of Constanta alerted authorities Saturday after they found dozens of dead starlings, fearing they may have been infected with bird flu, which triggered mass deaths in avian populations in 2004-2006.
"Tests on five birds showed gizzards full of grape marc which caused their death," Romeu Lazar, head of the city's veterinary authority told Reuters, referring to a pulpy residue which is a by-product of winemaking.
MSNBC - www.msnbc.msn.com [Source: Reuters]
12 Jan 2011
Location: Constanta, Romania - Map It 
Wildlife officials monitoring deadly bird disease in Pinellas County
State wildlife officials are monitoring the spread of a deadly and highly contagious bird disease found in Pinellas County last week.
Exotic Newcastle disease, which can cause minor skin irritation in humans, was found in three double-crested cormorants at the Suncoast Seabird Sanctuary in Indian Shores.
They were the only birds found with the disease so far, said Sterling Ivey, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
St. Petersburg Times - www.tampabay.com
D Valentine
12 Jan 2011
Location: Indian Shores, Pinellas County, Florida, USA - Map It
Forestry officials in the north-east Indian state of Assam have demanded the creation of a no-pesticide zone around the famous Kaziranga game sanctuary.
The call follows the deaths of two pregnant elephants and other animals in tea estates around Kaziranga. The national park is renowned for its varied wildlife, especially the tiger and the one-horned Indian rhino.
Officials say that animals and birds were killed after eating grass that was contaminated by pesticides.
BBC News - www.bbc.co.uk
S Bhaumik
12 Jan 2011
Photo credit: S Bhattacharjee
Photo credit: S Bhattacharjee
Location: Kaziranga, India - Map It
OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo credit: D Shields/iStockphoto- Wildlife Officials Ask Public To Report On Bat Activity [Vermont, USA]
- Winter Sports Threaten Indigenous European Mountain Birds, Research Finds
- Wildlife Biologists Use Dogs' Scat-Sniffing Talents for Good [surveying wildlife]
- Lack of Spare Species Leaves Ecosystems Flat
- Conservationists unveil plans to save coral from extinction
Climate Change
- Climate change reveals disease as national security threat
- S.Africa, France scientists launch new marine lab [climate change research]
Follow-up News
- First CWD case of year surfaces in Decatur County [Decatur County, Kansas, USA - Map It ]
- Wildlife investigators: Poison killed Colo. wolf [from 2009; Eagle County, Colorado, USA - Map It ]
- Undiagnosed die-off, avian - USA (06): (AR) trauma
It Ain't All Bad News
