TOP STORIES
Spray blamed for new bird deaths
The Australian - www.theaustralian.news.com.au
01 Jun 2009
A O'Brien
Area: Perth, Western Australia, Australia - Map It
BIRDS are again dropping dead from the sky in a new toxic drama in Western Australia.
Nearly 200 ibises, ravens, gulls, ducks and a pelican were found dead or frothing and convulsing in Perth at the weekend.
The discovery comes a year after the mysterious mass death of 200 birds only a few kilometres away and two years after the Esperance lead contamination scandal which emptied the skies over the holiday town of Esperance for months when thousands of birds were poisoned.
The Department of Environment and Conservation yesterday blamed the latest deaths on the pesticide Fenthion, but said it was unclear whether it was a deliberate bird poisoning or had been caused by someone illegally dumping pesticide.
Mysterious fish disease breaks out in Mwinilunga
Lusaka Times - www.lusakatimes.com
01 June 2009
Area: Mwinilunga, Northwestern Province, Zambia - Map It
A mysterious fish disease has broken out in chief Ntambu’s area in Mwinilunga district of Northwestern province.
The rivers affected by the mysterious fish disease include Kabompo, Kasanjiko and Muzhimbezi. Speaking to ZANIS in an interview, chief Ntambu disclosed that the mysterious fish disease that has hit his area broke out last month and has since deteriorated.
The traditional ruler disclosed that the affected fish develop sores all over the trunk (body). He said the development has raised concern among the local people, especially those who depend on fish for their livelihood.
Meanwhile, Mwinilunga Veterinary and Livestock Development officer-in-charge, Allan Lizambi has cautioned the people in chief Ntambu’s area to refrain from eating the affected fish.
Studies shed light on collapse of coral reefs
EurekAlert - www.eurekalert.org (Source: Oregon State University)
28 May 2009
An explosion of knowledge has been made in the last few years about the basic biology of corals, researchers say in a new report, helping to explain why coral reefs around the world are collapsing and what it will take for them to survive a gauntlet of climate change and ocean acidification.
Corals, it appears, have a genetic complexity that rivals that of humans, have sophisticated systems of biological communication that are being stressed by global change, and are only able to survive based on proper function of an intricate symbiotic relationship with algae that live within their bodies.
After being a highly successful life form for 250 million years, disruptions in these biological and communication systems are the underlying cause of the coral bleaching and collapse of coral reef ecosystems around the world, scientists will report tomorrow in the journal Science.
The research was funded in part by the National Science Foundation.
WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo credit: BBC News
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