April 2, 2012

Today's Wildlife Disease News Stories

TOP STORIES

Bat disease hits two more national parks

White-nose syndrome has been found in Acadia and Great Smoky Mountains national parks, just days after it was first confirmed in Alabama.

Less than a week after announcing that white-nose syndrome has infiltrated Alabama, U.S. wildlife officials revealed more bad news.... The mysterious fungal disease has begun to attack bats in two more national parks.

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed that WNS-infected bats have been found at both Acadia National Park in Maine and at Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee. The disease had already been documented in all three states — unlike Alabama, where the invasion is apparently new — but this is the first evidence that it's infecting bat colonies in these high-profile national parks.

Mother Nature Network - www.mnn.com
30 Mar 2011
R McLendon
Photo courtesy of Mother Nature Network
 Location: Acadia National Park, Maine - Map It ;


Press Releases Cited in News Article
>>> Acadia National Park News Release [National Park Service][pdf]
Researchers study spread of parrot disease

Researchers at Auckland Zoo are trying to understand a virus that is affecting native parrots and spreading through the country. Beak and feather disease was found in kakariki parrots in 2008 and this year has turned up in the South Island for the first time.

The virus seemed to be confined to introduced parrots until it appeared four years ago in the Hauraki Gulf. In January, it appeared in Fiordland in a second species of kakariki, which is also known as the New Zealand parakeet.

...Researchers say there is a risk it could spread to other native parrots, such as kea, kaka and the critically endangered kakapo.

Radio New Zealand News - www.radionz.co.nz
30 Mar 2012
Location: Fiordland, New Zealand - Map It


Avian Cholera Kills Thousands of Birds in Northern California

Millions of birds migrate through the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex every spring.

The newest volunteer opportunity in the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex is picking up bird carcasses stricken by a deadly avian cholera outbreak killing birds as they migrate north. The refuge, which spans the California/Oregon border, has already logged more than 10,000 deaths this spring.

... What's causing this fatal illness? Lack of water in the Klamath basin wetlands and the concentration of birds in a smaller space.

KQED Public Radio - www.npr.org
29 Mar 2012
Location: Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge, California, USA - Map It


More News On Avian Cholera Outbreak


Is herpes killing the ocean's coral?

As corals continue to decline in abundance around the world, researchers are turning their attention to a possible cause that’s almost totally unexplored – viral disease.

“We’ve identified 22 kinds of emerging disease that affect corals, but still don’t know the pathogens that cause most of them,” Vega-Thurber said. “Most researchers have looked only at bacteria. But we suspect viruses may play a role in this as well, and it’s important to learn more about what is causing this problem. Corals are the building blocks of the tropical seas.”

KPIC.com - www.kpic.com
27 Mar 2012
D Smith



Using An App to Report Injured Wildlife

The Boulder, Colo., group Animal Watch has developed a free iPhone and iPad application and a website called AnimalHelpNow designed to assist with such an emergency. The app and site only work for locations in Colorado, but its developers hope to expand the program nationally.

"The app asks a series of simple questions, like whether it's a wild or domestic animal, whether you can transport the animal," Vernon says. "Based on the user's answers, the user's location and the time of day, we filter the possibilities to display the best choices high on the list."

Natonal Public Radio - www.npr.org
29 Mar 2012
J Brady
Location: Colorado, USA


More News on Wildlife Related Phone Applications

>>> Spot a longhorned beetle? There's an app for that [Using mobile phone application to build a citizen militia to report invasive species sightings]


OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
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News about Lead and Wildlife
Rabies News
Marine Wildlife News
Huh? That's Interesting!

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