TOP STORIES
1000s of dead walleye being found in Lake Erie
Wildlife researchers want to know what's killing thousands of walleye in Lake Erie that have been washing up on beaches along its western shore. It's a big concern for anglers who come from across the Midwest and beyond to catch the lake's most popular sport fish.
The best guess is that the die-off can be blamed on natural causes stemming from the stress of spawning and the cold, stormy spring, said Roger Knight, Lake Erie fisheries program manager for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. "It all kind of fits that picture," he said. The worst is likely over, said Knight, who flew over the lake earlier this week and didn't see a huge number of dead fish. "It probably started a while ago," he said.
It's difficult to know how many walleye have died, but Knight estimated it was in the thousands based on phone calls coming into his office. Most have been around the Lake Erie islands and between Toledo and Port Clinton. Whatever is killing them isn't a danger to people who catch and eat walleye out of the lake, Knight added.
13 May 2011
J Seewer
Location: Toledo, Ohio, USA - Map It
>>>FULL ARTICLE
Salmonella: a threat to caiman, other wildlife, and humans
The Wildlife Conservation Society and other organizations released a new study recommending a disease screening program for farm-raised caiman in ranching facilities in Argentina to ensure the safety of people and wildlife alike. The recommendations focus on two crocodilian species, the yacare caiman and broad-snouted caiman, both of which are reared in caiman ranches for sustainable harvest. The research team sought to assess the presence of potentially harmful bacteria in captive-raised caiman at a typical ranching facility in Argentina's Chaco region, where several facilities are currently in operation....
Between 2001 and 2005, the research team collected samples from more than 100 captive caiman at a ranching facility in the Argentinian Chaco region for the purpose of testing for Salmonella, a common bacteria in reptiles that can be harmful and occasionally deadly in animals and humans. During the survey, researchers found two species of Salmonella, both of which are known to cause disease in humans. Further, in one of the survey years (2002) Salmonella were present in 77 percent of samples collected, suggesting this was not an isolated finding. Since some of the hatchlings are returned to the wild, the chances of releasing infected caiman shedding this bacteria can be high.
"An accidental introduction of Salmonella or other pathogens into the environment during the release of captive-raised caimans could pose a health threat to wild caiman populations and other susceptible wildlife species, including some birds and mammals," said Dr. Marcela Uhart of WCS's Global Health Program and lead author on the study. "Preventive measures to detect the presence of harmful pathogens in caiman ranching facilities can help reduce potential health risks to humans as well as protect wild animal populations."
13 May 2011
>>>FULL ARTICLE
Cited Journal Articles
M Uhart, et al. Isolation of Salmonella spp. from yacare caiman (Caiman yacare) and broad-snouted caiman (Caiman latirostris) from the Argentine Chaco. J Wildl Dis. 2011 Apr;47(2):271-7.
OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH-RELATED NEWS
