Wildlife Disease News Digest

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Saving Frogs Before It's Too Late
ScienceDaily - www.sciencedaily.com (Source: PLoS Biology)
06 May 2008
Area: Madagascar

With nearly one-third of amphibian species threatened with extinction worldwide, fueled in part by the widespread emergence of the deadly chytrid fungus, effective conservation efforts could not be more urgent. In a new article, Franco Andreone and his colleagues argue that one of the best places to focus these efforts is Madagascar, a global hotspot of amphibian diversity that shows no signs of amphibian declines--or traces of the chytrid fungus. Protecting this amphibian treasure trove before it's too late, the authors argue, makes Madagascar a top priority for amphibian conservation efforts. "In Madagascar," the authors argue, "amphibian conservation efforts have the possibility of being pro-active, rather than reactive, or simply post-mortem."

Madagascar harbors "one of the richest groups of amphibian fauna in the world," write the authors, but this megadiversity faces significant threats. Ninety percent of the island's original vegetation has been destroyed by human activity. Amazingly, despite the ongoing habitat destruction, no Malagasy amphibian species have been reported as extinct, though a quarter of the 220 species evaluated by the World Conservation Union are listed as threatened. The conspicuous absence of the devastating chytrid fungus only serves to underscore the precariousness of the situation.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

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Richmond Chemical Spill Taking Toll On Area Fauna
KTVU News - www.ktvu.com
06 May 2008
Area: California United States -- Map It

Two mallard ducks and hundreds of small fish were found dead Tuesday afternoon in an irrigation ditch near the site of a toxic chemical spill in Richmond's Parchester Village, the California Department of Fish and Game reported. The spill, now estimated to be about 3,300 gallons of the chemical solvent toluene, occurred sometime between Friday night and Monday morning when a thief cut through a fence surrounding Reaction Products Co., Inc., located at 840 Morton Ave., and stole brass fittings from five above-ground chemical storage tanks. The fittings would bring about $10 at a recycling plant, but the cleanup of the chemical released by the theft is estimated to cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, Richmond police Lt. Mark Gagan said.

Cleanup crews recovered about 3,000 gallons of toluene and water mixture Monday, and had recovered another 1,300 gallons of the water and chemical mixture from the irrigation ditch and surrounding area as of 3:00 p.m. today, the U.S. Coast Guard reported. Officials had not yet been able to determine how much toluene was contained in the mixture. They also still don't know how much of the chemical seeped into Parchester Marsh, which is part of Point Pinole Regional Shoreline and home to several endangered species, or how much washed into San Pablo Bay.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

Thai officials working to prevent birdflu outbreak
MCOT English News - enews.mcot.net
08 May 2008
Area: Thailand

Bueng Boraped in the central province of Nakhon Sawan, encompassing over 50,000 acres is home to more than 270 farmland birds and waterbirds. The Bueng Boraped Wildlife Research Station has randomly collected samples from the birds every month after some birds were infected with the H5N1 virus in 2004. Although the number of infected birds was not large, officials took serious action to prevent any spread of the disease. Every month, officials gather excretion and mucus from the open billed storks and send this for lab tests. These birds are tagged with leg bands, so their migration routes can be indicated. When an outbreak occurs, the information will help officials to contain the disease. “ We can indicate the area to prevent the outbreak from spreading, if we can track their migration routes.”, said Krairat Iam-ampai, head of Bueng Boraped Wildlife Research Station.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

A rising tide

Bangkok Post - www.bangkokpost.com
08 May 2008
N Thongtham
Photo courtesy of Dr. Nalinee Thongtham
Area: Thailand -- Map It

Act now on global warming before it's too late for Thailand's coastline and coral reefs

Thailand's coral reefs, which have attracted tourists since the 1960s, could be lost in 50 years if carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions continue at current rates over the next eight to 10 years. The warning came from Dr Marea Hatziolos, senior coastal and marine specialist at the World Bank, who was one of the scientists who warned of the impact of climate change on coral reefs around the world at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bali, Indonesia, last December. "The current level of CO2 equivalent accumulation in the atmosphere is 430ppm [parts per million]," she said. "At current rates, an accumulation level of 450ppm is expected to be reached by 2015, and scientific evidence suggests that once CO2 accumulation in the atmosphere reaches 550ppm, coral reef ecosystems will be extensively and irreversibly damaged," and reef-building corals will largely disappear.

The Washington, DC-based expert on coastal zone management recently spoke at a seminar organised by the World Bank at its Bangkok office in Siam Tower, Rama 1 Road, recently. The event attracted a full house comprising mostly of marine biologists, researchers and officials involved in coastal management and protection. Although coral reefs occupy only 0.2 per cent, or 284,300km2 - a little more than half the size of Thailand - of the ocean floor, they contain the most diverse ecosystems on the planet, she said. They provide a habitat for many species of fish, crustaceans and other marine life, and serve as buffer against strong waves that erode coastlines during storms.

>>>FULL ARTICLE

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