TOP STORIES
Where have all the sparrows gone? (March 20 is World House Sparrow Day)
For a long, long time, the chubby, chirpy house sparrow lived in our midst aplenty. Now, you can't find them in the urban environment any more. All this has happened in a span of just a few years.
India is not the only place where the sparrows have disappeared from the cities.
In the Netherlands, they are already an endangered species. In Britain, their population is dropping at such an alarming rate that they are now in the red list as a species of 'high conservation concern'.
Sify News - www.sify.com
19 Mar 2011
19 Mar 2011
Warmer Arctic could increase threat of disease for caribou, other foods
Climate change in the Arctic could change the balance of power between humans, animals and the germs or pathogens that make them both sick, according to a paper by University of Alaska Fairbanks microbiologist Karsten Hueffer.Hueffer, an assistant professor at the UAF Institute of Arctic Biology, published his findings in a recent issue of the online journal Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica, according to a press release from UAF.
"Interestingly, people and animals can reach a point of equilibrium in which the pathogens that affect them do not cause a lot of disease," said Hueffer, who studies zoonotics, infectious diseases that spread between humans and animals. "Day length and temperature are thought to play a significant role in regulating this equilibrium."
The Alaska Dispatch - www.alaskadispatch.com
20 Mar 2011
20 Mar 2011
Scientists: VHS not causing widespread fish die-offs in Great Lakes
Researchers say they found more cases of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) in the Great Lakes last year. But they did not find any big fish kills from the disease.
VHS was found in several locations and a variety of fish in Lake Superior and Lake Michigan last year, but Cornell Aquatics Professor Paul Bowser says he won’t be able to release exact locations until they are published in scientific research journals.
“The bottom line is the virus is still out there,” says Bowser. “Now, it’s important to note that since 2008 and beyond there have been very few actual mortality events associated with viral hemorrhagic septicemia in the Great Lakes basin.”
Superior Telegram - www.superiortelegram.com
21 Mar 2011
M Simonson
21 Mar 2011
M Simonson
WDIN Highlights - March 2011Volume 6, Issue 1
In this issue:
- Main Article - Wildlife Disease Information Node: Activities Update/ pg. 1 - 2
- Upcoming Wildlife Disease Related Events/ pg. 1
- Spotlight on Top Resources Added to WDIN’ s Electronic Wildlife Disease Library in 2010/ pg. 2
- New Resources Added to the WDIN Website/ pg. 3
- Wildlife Health Event Reporter: Many Eyes ‐ One Health Get the Word Out/ pg. 3
OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED STORIES
Seals
- Results of seal autopsies revealed [followup, Canada]
- Canadian harp seals find their way to US waters
Dolphins
- Whale, more dolphins found dead on SC beaches - Morris Island, Charleston County, South Carolina, USA - Map It
White-nose syndrome
- Pisgah Forest bats monitored for white-nose syndrome [North Carolina, USA]
It Ain't All Bad News!
