TOP STORIES
Swindon Newts get Health Check
Swabs are being taken from the thighs of newts and toads in Swindon to determine whether they are carrying a fungal infection.
The chytrid fungus causes an infectious skin disease which has led to a decline in some amphibian species. Wiltshire Wildlife Trust says the survey will determine whether it is affecting creatures in the county.
Frogs do not appear to be affected by the fungus, the spokesman said.
The chytrid fungus causes chytridiomycosis, which has led to a decline in amphibian species in places including Australia, South American and parts of Spain.
Swindon Advertiser - www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk
26 Apr 2011
Location: Swindon, United Kingdom
26 Apr 2011
Location: Swindon, United Kingdom
Distemper Outbreak
Reports of raccoons acting strangely -- walking in circles, sunning themselves on backyard decks, and climbing hydro poles in broad daylight -- are on the increase across Norfolk following an outbreak of distemper.
The disease, which has symptoms similar to rabies, is highly contagious and almost always fatal in cats and dogs. It is not transferable to humans.
Local officials are warning residents to keep pets, which can be protected through vaccination, and children away from animals acting in this way. It's not unusual to get a few reports of distemper in the spring, but "it's insane this year," said Denise Boniface of Bryden's Den Wildlife Centre in Port Ryerse, who rescues and rehabilitates orphaned wildlife.
"I got four calls on the weekend. Normally, I'd get four calls a year. Since January, I've had 12 calls."
The jump in cases is part of a "wave" of distemper that has been moving eastward across Ontario since the autumn of 2009, said Ben Hindmarsh, a fish and wildlife specialist with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources in Aylmer.
The Expositor - www.brantfordexpositor.ca
27 Apr 2011
D Pearce
Location: Port Ryerse, Ontario, Canada - Map It
]
27 Apr 2011
D Pearce
Location: Port Ryerse, Ontario, Canada - Map It
]OTHER WILDLIFE RELATED HEALTH NEWS
- Fungal disease prompts another cave closure [Vanocker Canyon, South Dakota]
- Sick harbor porpoise fighting for life after stranding itself on
Saltspring Island [Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - Map It] - Book Excerpt from 'A Planet of Viruses' by Carl Zimmer
- Tieling first wildlife rescue stations located in Yongsan [Translated from Chinese]
