TOP STORIES

Agricultural chemical kills wildlife in Kenya
Telegraph.co.uk - www.telegraph.co.uk
29 Apr 2008
P Eccleston
Photo courtesy of Mara Conservancy
Area: Kenya -- Map It

Conservationists in Kenya have called for a ban on an agricultural pesticide which is killing wildlife.

• Years of Masai Mara co-operation threatened
• Power of blogging helping Masai Mara wildlife
• Richard Leakey: We're in a state of denial in Africa

Four lions were poisoned - two of them fatally - after feeding on a hippo carcass found close to a river.

It is believed the hippo had eaten plants containing the toxic agricultural chemical carbofuran which was then passed to the lions. The first signs of sickness came three days after the lions had fed when a young male was found to be weak and staggering. By the following morning it was paralysed in both front legs and was using its rear limbs in an attempt to hop. It was quickly followed by another young male from the same pride which was in an even worse condition quickly becoming totally paralysed. Two more males also showed signs of paralysis but were not as severely affected probably because they had eaten less meat from the infected hippo.

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Bird flu virus detected in dead swans found in northeast Japan
International Herald Tribune - www.iht.com (Source: Associated Press)
29 Apr 2008
Area: Japan -- Map It

Dead swans found recently in northeast Japan carried the deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza, the government said Tuesday. One dying and three dead swans were discovered April 21 near Lake Towada — a popular tourist spot — in Akita prefecture. Officials had determined earlier that they were infected with the bird flu virus, but further testing by the National Institute of Animal Health confirmed the strain involved. The incident is Japan's first outbreak of H5N1 since March 2007, when researchers found the virus in an eagle on the southern island of Kyushu.

Authorities in Akita prefecture plan to spend Wednesday and Thursday inspecting 15 farms within a 30-kilometer (18.6-mile) radius of where the swans were discovered. They have also issued a warning to local farmers to keep wild birds from entering their property and to immediately report chickens showing abnormal symptoms. Neighboring Aomori prefecture has released a similar directive to its residents. Highly pathogenic, H5N1 has killed tens of millions of birds since the first cases were reported in Hong Kong in 1997.

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DNR testing if bats died from disease
Charleston Daily Mail - www.dailymail.com (Source: Associated Press)
29 Apr 2008
Area: West Virginia United States -- Map It

The discovery of dead bats in a Pendleton County cave has state wildlife officials wondering if a disease already responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of hibernating bats in other states has migrated to West Virginia. The bats were discovered earlier this month when the Division of Natural Resources surveyed Trout Cave for white-nose syndrome.

Two other caves were surveyed, but no mysterious bat deaths were found, said Jack Wallace, an environmental resource specialist with the DNR's Wildlife Diversity Program. Wallace said the dead bats had a white, powdery substance on their faces, but didn't exhibit other problems associated with the disease such a low body weight.

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Avian cholera found in region
Storm Lake Pilot Tribune - www.zwire.com
28 Apr 2008
Area: Iowa United States -- Map It

Wildlife officials with the DNR are taking steps to prevent the further spread of avian cholera after the disease was detected at a wetland area in northwest Iowa. DNR Wildlife officials report that avian cholera has been detected at Rush Lake in southwest Palo Alto County. Avian cholera is a contagious disease that can be harmful to domestic poultry and migratory waterfowl, but is not considered a high risk for humans. Standard disease protection procedures should be used when working with diseased animals, including wearing rubber gloves and washing skin thoroughly.

Since April 9th, a total of 213 ducks and geese, consisting of 16 species have been removed from Rush Lake in southwest Palo Alto County. Analysis of a sample of these by the National Wildlife Disease Center (NWDC) in Madison, WI, indicated that avian cholera was the cause of death. Since April 9th, DNR staff has surveyed Rush Lake and surrounding wetlands on a bi-weekly basis and has followed NWDC protocol regarding the retrieval and disposal of dead birds. This, combined with lowering water levels to make Rush Lake less attractive to waterfowl appears to be working, as the number of dead birds found has decreased significantly.

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OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo courtesy of James Crabbe

• Hunger makes bats 'act strangely'
• Rabies vaccine in bait
• Controlling Invasive Fish: Waterfalls Control Spread Of Lake Trout In Glacier National Park
• Rabid raccoon found near Burlington City school -- Map It
• Rabies cases prompt vaccination warnings -- Map It
• Eco exhibition set for opening [impact of weather systems and climate change on humans and wildlife]
  
• Are hazards lurking in freezers of deer hunters in Minnesota? [Concern about lead contamination]
  
• Will Corals Survive The Stormy Future?
• Where the buffalo roam -- and die [includes videos]
• Badger culling’s out on Trust land
• [West Nile Virus found in Puerto Rico] The West Nile Virus has been found and is actively circulating in Puerto Rico, says a study published this month. [Spanish full text only]
  
• [New fatal virus discovered in Bolivia] Scientists have isolated a new fatal virus, associated with haemorrhagic fever, in rural Bolivia. [Spanish full text only]
  
• Citizen scientists an untapped resource
  

WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED PUBLICATIONS

First Isolation of EBLV-2 in Germany. [European Bat Lyssavirus (EBLV-2) type 2 rabies]
Veterinary Microbiology . 2008 Mar 7 [Epub ahead of print][online abstract only]
C Freuling et al.

Treatment of foot rot in free-ranging mouflon (Ovis gmelini musimon) populations—does it make sense?
European Journal of Wildlife Research. 2008 Apr; [Epub ahead of print][online abstract only]
K Volmer et al.

Chapare Virus, a Newly Discovered Arenavirus Isolated from a Fatal Hemorrhagic Fever Case in Bolivia
PLos Pathogens. 2008 Apr; 4(4): e1000047
S. Delgado et al.

Genetic diversity and purifying selection in West Nile virus populations are maintained during host switching
Virology. 2008. [Epub ahead of print][online abstract only]
VS Greta et al.