TOP STORIES
Science Daily - www. sciencedaily.com
23 Sep 2009
Photo credit: Courtesy of Washington University in St. Louis
Sometimes to see something properly, you have to stand farther back. This is true of Chuck Close portraits where a patchwork of many small faces changes into one giant face as you back away.
It may also be true of the frogs of Central America, where the pattern of extinctions emerges clearly only at a certain spatial scale.
Everyone knows that frogs are in trouble and that some species have disappeared, but a recent analysis of Central American frog surveys shows the situation is worse than had been thought.
Office of News and Public Information, National Academies - www8.nationalacademies.org
22 Sep 2009
Significant weaknesses undermine the global community's abilities to prevent, detect early, and respond efficiently to potentially deadly species-crossing microbes, such as the pandemic H1N1 influenza virus sweeping the globe, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council.
The report provides a detailed plan for establishing and funding a comprehensive, globally coordinated system to identify novel zoonotic disease threats as early as possible wherever they arise so appropriate measures can be taken to prevent significant numbers of human illnesses and deaths, and livestock losses.
U.S. federal agencies -- particularly the U.S. Agency for International Development -- should spearhead efforts to develop this system and work with international partners to provide funding and technical assistance to build the expertise, equipment, and other components of zoonotic disease surveillance and response capabilities in countries worldwide, said the committee that wrote the report.
Sounding the alarm for bat healthMilwaukee Journal Sentinal - www.jsonline.com
22 Sep 2009
M Jones
Photo credit: R Wood/Milwaukee Journal Sentinal
For now, Wisconsin's bat population is hale and hearty. But a devastating fungus is racing through cave-dwelling bat populations in eastern states and it's headed this way. White-nose syndrome has now killed an estimated 1 million bats, and experts say it could reach Wisconsin within two to three years.
"We need to set a baseline and if we do get hit (by white-nose syndrome) we need to know what's here and what's healthy," said Dave Redell.
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources bat ecologist is at the forefront of a massive effort to take the pulse of the state's bat population. Other states are doing the same thing. What's alarming is that there's no known cure, nor do scientists know exactly how it spreads.
Dolphins Found Dead At Manresa State BeachKSBW 8 News - www.ksbw.com
23 Sep 2009
Photo credit: T Lopez/Action 8 News
Location: Santa Cruz, California, USA- Map It
The death of three dolphins found near Manresa State Beach sparked an investigation into marine mammal deaths in the Monterey Bay.
Viewers told Action News three dead dolphins were found in the past week and a half, and that the latest victim had a rope tied around its tail.
"I've been living here for 18 years, and I've never seen so many dead dolphins on the beach," said Monica Sanchez, of Seascape.
Wildlife experts: About 20 seagulls dead at port
The Miami Herald - www.miamiherald.com
22 Sep 2009
Location: Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA - Map It
Wildlife experts say about 20 seagulls were found dead on a concrete pier at Port Canaveral over the weekend.
Paul Sypien, who runs Wildlife Care Center of Florida in Canaveral Groves, responded to the scene early Sunday.
Sypien picked up six injured gulls and cared for them. Two of the birds have died.
West Nile Virus Detected in Aberdeen
KBKW News - kbkw.com
23 Sep 2009
D Haviland
The Grays Harbor County Health Department announced the first detection of the West Nile Virus in a bird in Grays Harbor County has been detected in a dead crow, found in Aberdeen.
Dr. John Bausher, the County's Health Officer said "West Nile Virus has been detected in mosquitoes, birds, and horses all over Washington State, we have a good surveillance system in place and it worked exactly as it was supposed to."
OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
- Turbines perilous to marine animals
- Are the Oceans So Messed Up Even Fake Crab Meat and Fish Sticks are Endangered?
Photo credit: Luke Jerram
Glass Microbiology [includes image gallery]
- Giant Squid Caught Alive, Briefly, off U.S.
- Weird New Ghostshark Found; Male Has Sex Organ on Head
- Employing dogs to save endangered species and places
- Sending science down the phone: new technology will map research across the world
WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED PUBLICATIONS
Browse complete Digest publication library here.
Detection of Antibodies against Japanese Encephalitis Virus in Raccoons, Raccoon Dogs and Wild Boars in Japan
J Vet Med Sci. 2009 Aug;71(8):1035-9.
Y Ohno et al.
Transdisciplinary habitat models for elk and cattle as a proxy for bovine tuberculosis transmission risk
Prev Vet Med. 2009 Oct 1;91(2-4):197-208. Epub 2009 Jul 9
RK Brook and SM McLachlan
Seabirds as indicators of aquatic ecosystem conditions: A case for gathering multiple proxies of seabird health
Mar Pollut Bull. 2009 Sep 18. [Epub ahead of print]
ML Mallory et al.
Impact and Dynamics of Disease in Species Threatened by the Amphibian Chytrid Fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis
Conservation Biology. 2009 Oct; 23(5): 1242-1252(11)
KA Murray et al.
