TOP STORIES
Associated Press - www.ap.org
14 Jun 2009
J Dearen
Area: California, United States
A recent surge in weakened and malnourished sea lions found along the Northern California coast is mystifying scientists and keeping workers hopping at the newly expanded Marine Mammal Center here.
"We're way ahead in the numbers this year. We have twice as many animals as we should," marine veterinarian Bill Van Bonn said after examining Charcoal, a sick harbor seal.
Experts at the non-profit center, located on wind-swept Marin headlands just north of the Golden Gate Bridge, believe the perplexing spike in malnourished sea lions along several hundred miles of coast could be due to a decline in populations of smaller fish that young seals and sea lions eat while developing.
Nearly A Million Bats Dead from Mysterious DiseaseVOA News - www.voanews.com
12 Jun 2009
Zulima Palacio
Area: United States
Three years ago, a few hundred bats were found dead in hibernating caves in the northeastern state of New York. The event barely registered for some scientists. By the following winter, the death toll had risen to a few thousand bats, sparking concern among some experts.
This year, the death toll could near a million, and has set off an alarm among scientists and farmers. The dramatic reduction in the bat population and and its potential extinction could have extensive health, economic and environmental effects.
Hundreds of thousands of bats have died in the northeastern region of the United States. According to some experts, the death toll is close to a million. The bats are succumbing to a disease called White Nose Syndrome, with a white fungus appearing on the nose, ears and wings of the bats.
New Wildlife Health Strategy will help tackle disease
DEFRA - www.defra.gov.uk
15 Jun 2009
Area: United Kingdom
Defra has published a new strategy setting out a general approach to tackling wildlife disease.
The Wildlife Health Strategy, which complements Defra’s Veterinary Surveillance Strategy and Animal Health and Welfare Strategy will be implemented across England.
It sets it sights on strengthening collaborations and developing communication networks for wildlife health to enhance and widen the sharing of information and expertise with the aim of increasing our knowledge and understanding of both infectious and non-infectious diseases in wildlife.
OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo credit: www.treehugger.com
Sea Turtle Thrives on South African Beaches
- Fish and Game agents shoot and kill sick bighorn
- Number of loon shootings worrisome - Meredith Bay, Belknap County, New Hampshire, USA - Map It
- Texas wind farms deploy radar so birds, not feathers, can fly
- World's most invasive jellyfish spreading along Israel coast
Wildlife Poisoning
- Police raid Scottish grouse moor after poisoned red kite is found dead - Peebles, Scotland, UK - Map It
- Official: Sumatran elephant poisoned in Indonesia - Riau Province, Sumatra, Indonesia - Map It
WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED PUBLICATIONS
Browse complete Digest publication library here.
Top 10 principles for designing healthy coastal ecosystems like the Salish Sea
Ecohealth. 2008 Dec;5(4):460-71. Epub 2009 Mar 4
JK Gaydos et al.
Mercury toxicity and the mitigating role of selenium
Ecohealth. 2008 Dec;5(4):456-9. Epub 2009 Feb 6.
MJ Berry and NV Ralston
Designing graduate training programs in conservation medicine-producing the right professionals with the right tools
Ecohealth. 2008 Dec;5(4):519-27. Epub 2009 Feb 11.
GE Kaufman et al.
Joint Oversight Hearing On "White-Nose Syndrome: What's Killing Bats In The Northeast?"'
Subcommittee Hearing Video [1 hour 36 min 36 sec][To play click on "view archived video"]
[Shared by the USGS National Wildlife Health Center]
A New Twist on Prion Disease
ScienceNOW Daily News. 2009 Jun 11; 611 [Epub]
J Couzin-Frankel
