TOP STORIES
Mallards dying in Lake Forest lakes
I
n the last two weeks, more than 30 dead or dying ducks have been found at ponds and lakes around the city.
Residents of the Lake I and Lake II communities have reported finding hen and drake mallards floating in the lakes there and flopping on nearby grass. Dead ducks also have been found at Village Pond Park and nearby at the Forest Gardens Mobile Home Park. Officials from Orange County Animal Care have picked up some of the dead birds, and residents have tried to save some birds by taking them to the Wetlands & Wildlife Care Center in Huntington Beach.
... Debbie McGuire, wildlife director at the center, said the birds are definitely under the influence of a toxin and are being treated as fast as they are coming in. Most have healthy, plump bodies but are becoming paralyzed.
... McGuire said one of the dead ducks will need to be sent for necropsy to a lab on the East Coast to determine exactly what is killing the birds. The center is overwhelmed with hundreds of sea birds with toxin-related poisoning and is low on funds, so it might take longer to get the necropsy done, she said.
19 Sep 2011
Location: Orange County, California, USA - Map It
Thousand of white bass turn up dead in Arkansas River
Wildlife officials have discovered thousands of dead fish along the Arkansas River in Little Rock and were still counting carcasses on Tuesday, a day after an angler reported seeing dozens of dead white bass.
"We are on the river trying to determine the extent of the fish kill," said Keith Stephens, public information coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission.
Wildlife investigators said the dead fish were mainly white bass, which are common in the river, and were between 5 and 8 inches long. Most were found near the foot of the Two Rivers Bridge, an 80-foot pedestrian bridge that opened in July.
An Arkansas Department of Pollution Control and Ecology official said toxins had not been eliminated as a potential cause and that oxygen levels had tested normal so far. Other test results for disease and parasites could take a month to conclude.
20 Sep 2011
S Parker
Location: Little Rock, Arkansas, USA - Map It
ProMed Archive No. 20110919.2851: Avian influenza: Netherlands (DR) LPAI, swan, Request for Information
A mild (low pathogenic) variant of avian influenza has been detected in a bird trading business in Zuidwolde (Drenthe). The mild bird flu was found in 83 swans destined for export.
The swans, routinely kept "in the wild," are caught before being traded. Low pathogenic avian influenza is very common in wild birds. It is, therefore, not surprising that the swans were found infected; their contamination came to light because they had to undergo testing prior to export.
Other Avian Influenza News
>>> Bird flu batters South African ostrich farms
>>> Bird flu in India: Government steps in to curb outbreak
Reported Wildlife Mortality Events to the USGS National Wildlife Health Center UpdatedUSGS 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 Sep 21, 2011 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.
21 Sep 2011
Location:USA
OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo courtesy of The Guardian
Tracking equipment could be harming wild birds, experts warn [Postmortem study of red kites has aroused suspicions that radio transmitters be damaging their health and welfare]
- 2 Cass County deer diagnosed with viral disease [EHD] [Location: Cass County, Michigan, USA - Map It ]
- Newsmaker: Jonathan L. Lustgartenn [Veterinarian student wins UN of Penn Student Inspiration Award]
- An accident leads Yale scientists to tick-borne disease in Russia [newly identified tick-borne illness][cited paper HERE]
- DYING OFF: Bat populations continue to drop across region [Location: New Hampshire, USA]
- Zoo will study connections between animal, human health [St. Louis Zoo, Missouri, USA]
- Bid to save squirrels from deadly disease [squirrelpox virus][United Kingdom]
- 10 More Dead Birds Found Infected With West Nile Virus [Location: Costa County, California, USA, Lafayette - Map It , Walnut Creek - Map It , Pleasant Hill - Map It , Concord - Map It ]
- Frogs win fight against disease [Chytridiomycosis and Armoured Mist Frogs]
