Wildlife Disease News Digest

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Botulism supected in Reno duck deaths
RGJ.com - www.rgj.com
31 Jul 2009
M Beatty
Location: Nevada, USA - Map It

. . . Washoe County Regional Animal Services interim field supervisor Bobby Smith said he dispatched a sergeant to Paradise Park to clean up the area.

“Apparently it looks like botulism,” Smith said. “NDOW (Nevada Department of Wildlife) and their vet were notified, the U.S. Dept. of Fish and Game were notified,” he said. “It’s their jurisdiction, they do the testing and all that, and I’m just waiting to hear as to what exactly has happened.”

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Scientists Untangle Multiple Causes of Bee Colony Disorder
Environment News Service - www.ens-newswire.com
29 Jul 2009

Working on the project funded in part by regional beekeepers and WSU's Agricultural Research Center, entomology professor Steve Sheppard and his team have narrowed the list of potential causes for colony collapse disorder.

"One of the first things we looked at was the pesticide levels in the wax of older honeycombs," Sheppard said. Using combs contributed by U.S. Department of Agriculture, Sheppard found "fairly high levels of pesticide residue."

Bees raised in those hives "had significantly reduced longevity," he said.

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Golden eagle tagged in conservation plan found poisoned to death
The Guardian - www.guardian.co.uk
31 Jul 2009
S Carrell
Location: Scotland - Map It

Alma, a golden eagle tracked on conservationist website, vanished in early July and was found poisoned to death today.

Police raided a Highland grouse moor today after a golden eagle that had been satellite-tagged as part of a government-funded project was found poisoned with illegal pesticides.

The grouse moor, keepers' cottages and vehicles on the Millden estate near Brechin in Angus were searched under warrant after Tayside police and wildlife crime investigators raided the property early this morning. There were no arrests, and no one from the estate was available for comment.

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Pollution leading cause of cancer in marine mammals, too
Gloucester Daily Times - www.gloucestertimes.com
31 Jul 2009
H Pearson

. . . A recent study by scientists at the Wildlife Conservation Society reports that cancer is a leading cause of death in marine animals, and a major cause of cancer in animals is pollution. Just as pollution can cause cancer in humans, pollution also causes cancer in animals.

Sea turtles living in polluted waters have high cancer rates. Endangered green sea turtles are especially prone to tumors on the skin, lung, liver, kidney, and heart.

Bottom-feeding animals such as beluga whales, catfish, and sole are also susceptible to cancer. These animals are continually exposed to seafloor sediments which absorb harmful industrial toxins. Cancer kills beluga whales living in the polluted St. Lawrence River estuary in Canada. Nearly 20 percent of all beluga whale deaths are attributed to cancer, and over 25 percent of adult beluga whales have tumors.

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Number of starving sea lions decreases a bit; cause of food shortage unclear
Central Coast - www.mercurynews.com
30 Jul 2009
C Kelly

Starving California sea lions continue to languish and perish along the coast, swamping rescuers and saddening onlookers, though to a lesser extent than last month.
Researchers say it will be several months before they know what caused an apparent lack of sea lion food.

"We are at an all-time record this year with over 1,100 rescues since Jan. 1," said Jim Oswald, a spokesman for the Marine Mammal Center. "It's not as full force as in June, but we are certainly still seeing those animals come in. Their food sources have just not been there."

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