TOP STORIES
Canadian Press - www.thecanadianpress.com
02 Oct 2009
J Graham
Photo courtesy of the Associated Press
Thirty-four of the small, furry creatures - once feared to be extinct - were released in Grasslands National Park in southern Saskatchewan on Friday as a part of a plan to re-introduce the species to the wild.
The black-footed ferrets were last seen in Canada in southwestern Saskatchewan in 1937.
They relied on black-tailed prairie dogs for food and even use the prairie dogs' burrows for their own shelters. But prairie dog colonies dropped dramatically at the turn of the last century largely from the impacts of farming. With the loss of their prey and deaths from a sylvatic plague, the black-footed ferrets disappeared.
Since 1991, the ferrets have been successfully re-introduced to 17 sites in the U.S. and one in Mexico. This is their first foray back into Canada and officials say it's an important move.
Explanation offered by Marine Mammal Center director for sea lion mysteryMore Marin - www.moremarin.com
05 Oct 2009
P Gould
Photo courtesy of MoreMarin.com
Earlier this summer, reports of large numbers of dead or dying sea lions appeared in multiple news sources, including ours. Most of the mammals were malnourished, or suffering from bacterial infections.
The cause of the problem was thought to be a dip in the food source, likely due to warm water conditions. Mammals have also been suffering from domoic acid poisoning from algal bloom, which might also be the result of warmer water.
"What we understand is this: there was a significant die-off of yearling sea lions early this summer, and an abysmal season for the pups that were born in June. On the other hand, the older animals are seeking food wherever they can find it, and that has many showing up in greater numbers than we've grown used to."
West Nile Virus Returns to Italy
The Horse - www.thehorse.com
03 Oct 2009
C Lesté-Lasserre
Location: Italy - Map It
The epidemic began in central eastern Italy in August, in the same location as a 2008 epidemic which caused 32 clinical cases and five deaths in horses. Prior to that outbreak, Italy had been free of West Nile virus since a 1998 outbreak in Tuscany.
"Very preliminary data suggest that the virus was able to overwinter," said Federica Monaco, PhD, researcher at the IZSA&M and primary author of a recently published scientific paper on the 2008 epidemic. "It's likely that the virus cycle did not stop during the cold months, but we still lack sufficient data to define which hosts (mosquitoes, birds, etc.) are involved."
Although it's been circulating in the United States and Canada since 1999, WNV is relatively rare in Europe, with the previous last known case occurring in France in 2003.Re-Emergence of West Nile Virus in Italy. Zoonoses and Public Health. 23 Jul 2009.
Whitetail deer found dead in Northern Livingston County from fly bites
The Grand Rapids Press - Mlive.com
04 Oct 2009
H Meyerson
Location: Tyrone Township, Livingston, Michigan, USA - Map It
More than 150 whitetail deer in Northern Livingston County have died from a biting fly, known as a midge, according to Michigan Department of Natural Resource officials.
The insect is responsible for transmitting an infectious, often fatal, virus called epizootic hemorrhagic disease.
Investigation into the disease began after dozens of deer turned up in the yards of Tyrone Township residents along local waterways.
Ind. looks to track, contain spread of bovine TB
OTHER WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED NEWS
Photo credit: L Allen/N Hristov
Bats set up homes on the highway [includes video]
- Wildlife experts probe seal death New Quay, Wales, United Kingdom - Map It
- Sea cow makes appearance in New England
- Galapagos in peril over warming [video]
- Killer whales heading south
- Sierra Nevada Birds Move In Response To Warmer, Wetter Climate
- Panama butterfly migrations linked to El Niño, climate change
WILDLIFE HEALTH RELATED PUBLICATIONS
Browse complete Digest publication library here.
Lead Poisoning in Wild Birds [Fact Sheet][pdf]
USGS National Wildlife Health Center
The Economics of Agricultural and Wildlife Smuggling
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service [access summary and full report]
A Disease-Mediated Trophic Cascade in the Serengeti and its Implications for Ecosystem C
PLoS Biol. 2009; 7(9): e1000210 [free full-text available]
RM Holdo et al.
Disease and the Dynamics of Food Web
PLoS Biol. 2009; 7(9): e1000209 [free full-text available]
WM Getz
