TOP STORIES
IrishTimes.com - www.irishtimes.com
06 Jul 2009
M Barry
Photo credit: Michael Mac Sweeney/Provision
Area: The Lough in Cork, Ireland, UK - Map It
Health experts are attempting to pinpoint the source of a possible contagion killing birds and fish at one of the country’s best-known waterfowl refuges.
About 50 swans are believed to have died at The Lough in Cork city over recent days, with ducks and fish also dying, prompting fears over pollution, deliberate sabotage or a virus epidemic having taken grip at the public amenity and tourist magnet.
Lough area resident Annie Hoey claimed that people began to notice deaths in early June and that the numbers have been increasing ever since then.
State probing large bass kill on Potomac
Baltimore Sun - www.baltimoresun.com
03 Jul 2009
C Thomson
Area: Potomac River, Maryland, USA - Map It
State fisheries biologists are trying to learn what killed hundreds of bass on the Potomac River, just days after two fishing tournaments.
The fish were discovered and reported Monday by a fishing guide, a longtime opponent of the large number of tournaments held each year on the river near Smallwood State Park in Charles County.
Don Cosden, chief of Inland Fisheries for the Department of Natural Resources, said biologists on the water Tuesday estimated there were 600 dead bass along with several hundred catfish and other species over a six-mile stretch of the river.
Bee Colony Collapse Disorder: New Bait Lures Varroa Mite To Its DoomScienceDaily - www.sciencedaily.com (Source: USDA/ARS)
05 Jul 2009
Photo credit: Scott Bauer
Area: United States
The 1/16-inch long parasite, Varroa destructor, is a top pest of honey bees nationwide, hindering the beneficial insects' ability to pollinate almonds, blueberries, apples, zucchini and many other flowering crops.
At the ARS Chemistry Research Unit in Gainesville, research leader Peter Teal and colleagues are testing a bait-and-kill approach using sticky boards and natural chemical attractants called semiochemicals.
In nature, Varroa mites rely on these semiochemicals to locate—and then feed on—the bloodlike hemolymph of both adult honey bees and their brood.
OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo credit: Guardian News - www.guardian.co.uk
The week in wildlife
- To Protect Threatened Bat Species, Street Lights Out
- Wildlife crisis worse than economic crisis – IUCN
- Rabies, animal, human - Russia (02): (MOW)
- Citizen scientists document Dungeness orca casualty
- Vet dept requires US$20m for cordon fences [Zimbabwe]
- Scientists decry deaths of endangered lungfish - Mary River, South East Queensland, Australia - Map It
- SoCal Asian communities aim to weed out toxic fish [white croaker, California]
- New Fossil Primate Challenges "Missing Link" Ida
- A new way to farm fish and feed the world
- Interview: The elephant whisperer
- National Zoo Welcomes Rare Clouded Leopard Cubs
WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED PUBLICATIONS
Browse complete Digest publication library here.
Widespread Occurrence of the Chytrid Fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis on Oregon Spotted Frogs (Rana pretiosa)
Ecohealth. 2009 Jun 13. [Epub ahead of print]
CA Pearl et al.
Use of hunters in wildlife surveys: does hunter and forest grouse habitat selection coincide?
Journal European Journal of Wildlife Research. 2009 [Epub ahead of print]
W Lutz
Toxicology and wildlife conservation in Europe: The inadequacy of current EU regulations
Vet J. 2009 Jun 30. [Epub ahead of print][NO online abstract - citation only]
R Mateo
An interesting summer read
A Global Perspective on Trends in Nature-Based Tourism [People are still flocking to national parks. Just not in the U.S.]
PLoS Biology. 2009 [Epub ahead of print][free full-text online]
Balmford, A. et al.
