Scotland Bird Flu, CWD Culling, and Mysterious Sea Turtle Deaths [News]

Scotland: No Bird Flu Spread
News24.com
2006 April 09

London - Wildlife health officers wearing hazard suits, face masks, eye oggles and gloves scoured Scotland on Saturday, checking for dead and ailing birds in the wake of Britain's first confirmed case of the H5N1 strain of bird flu.

Results confirmed on Saturday that five dead birds sent to a laboratory for testing were not infected with H5N1, Charles Milne, Scotland's chief veterinary officer said.

He confirmed late on Friday that tests on nine birds in Scotland and six swans in Northern Ireland had also proved negative for the strain, which has been linked to the deaths of 109 people since a wave of outbreaks swept through Asian poultry populations in late 2003.

The Scottish government said 22 more dead birds have been collected for testing from a heavily policed protection zone close to the harbor town where a swan infected with H5N1 was discovered.

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Wildlife Officials: CWD Culling had its Merits
LongmontFYI.com
2006 April 10
Brad Turner

LYONS — Though wildlife officials say five years of deer culling failed to reduce chronic wasting disease infection rates statewide, the project allowed scientists to gather valuable new information about the animals, a Boulder County biologist said this week.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife’s efforts to prevent a serious CWD epidemic in deer around the state by thinning herds allowed scientists to learn about migratory patterns of deer and elk, county Parks and Open Space wildlife specialist Dave Hoerath said.

As part of the project, wildlife officials slapped tracking collars on deer at Rabbit Mountain, Heil Valley Ranch and Hall Ranch open space and studied the animals’ movements to gauge how quickly CWD might spread.

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Mysterious Sea Turtle Deaths in Sarasota
CBS4.com
2006 April 10

(CBS4/AP) Sarasota State wildlife officials investigate the deaths of several sea turtles in the Sarasota area when one loggerhead sea turtle was found dead on Coquina Beach. The cause of death is still to be determined.

Wildlife officials responded to four other sea turtle deaths recently in Sarasota and Manatee counties where one turtle appeared to have been hit by a boat propeller. Several other turtles have also been found in nearby areas showing signs of disease.

One of the largest of the hard-shell turtles, Loggerheads are listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act and are named for their large block-like head.

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