The Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre and Surveillance of Wild Animal Diseases in Canada, Volume 38, May 1997

The Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre (CCWHC) was established in 1992 as an organization among Canada\u27s 4 veterinary colleges, with a mandate to apply veterinary medicine to wildlife management and conservation in Canada. A major function of the CCWHC is nation-wide surveillance of wild animal diseases. Disease surveillance is conceived as consisting of 4 different activities: detection, diagnosis, information management, and use of information. In the CCWHC surveillance program, detection of disease is carried out by a wide range of professional and avocational field personnel, and much effort is expended to stimulate and support this activity. Diagnosis is done by personnel of provincial and federal veterinary laboratories and the CCWHC. Information management is achieved through a national database of wildlife disease incidents developed and maintained by the CCWHC. Use of information is enabled through established channels for distribution of information derived from the surveillance program to persons responsible for wildlife programs and policies, and to the public. There has been a high demand for the services of the CCWHC since its establishment. The CCWHC responds to approximately 2000 requests for information annually, distributes its newsletter to over 1700 recipients, examines approximately 1200 wild animal submissions each year, and has accumulated records of over 5000 disease incidents in its database. Technical information from the CCWHC has benefited federal, provincial/territorial, and non-government wildlife agencies; endangered species recovery programs; federal and provincial veterinary services; and federal and provincial public health programs

The Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre and Surveillance of Wild Animal Diseases in Canada, Volume 38, May 1997

The Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre (CCWHC) was established in 1992 as an organization among Canada\u27s 4 veterinary colleges, with a mandate to apply veterinary medicine to wildlife management and conservation in Canada. A major function of the CCWHC is nation-wide surveillance of wild animal diseases. Disease surveillance is conceived as consisting of 4 different activities: detection, diagnosis, information management, and use of information. In the CCWHC surveillance program, detection of disease is carried out by a wide range of professional and avocational field personnel, and much effort is expended to stimulate and support this activity. Diagnosis is done by personnel of provincial and federal veterinary laboratories and the CCWHC. Information management is achieved through a national database of wildlife disease incidents developed and maintained by the CCWHC. Use of information is enabled through established channels for distribution of information derived from the surveillance program to persons responsible for wildlife programs and policies, and to the public. There has been a high demand for the services of the CCWHC since its establishment. The CCWHC responds to approximately 2000 requests for information annually, distributes its newsletter to over 1700 recipients, examines approximately 1200 wild animal submissions each year, and has accumulated records of over 5000 disease incidents in its database. Technical information from the CCWHC has benefited federal, provincial/territorial, and non-government wildlife agencies; endangered species recovery programs; federal and provincial veterinary services; and federal and provincial public health programs

Serum Biochemistry and Serum Cortisol Levels of Immobilized and Hunted Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) from Northern Canada

Muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) are Arctic-adapted ruminants native to the Arctic regions of Canada, Alaska, and Greenland. Little is known about the serum biochemistry and serum cortisol of this species, or the effects of chemical immobilization on serum biochemical parameters. This study aimed to describe blood chemistry parameters and cortisol levels in hunted, tame, and chemically immobilized muskoxen and to examine differences in blood chemistry parameters and levels of stress associated with different capture techniques. Serum was collected from 91 adult female muskoxen in northern Canada. For analysis, these muskoxen were classified into six groups, five of free-ranging muskoxen (10 animals shot from snowmobiles near Kugluktuk, Nunavut; 18 chemically immobilized from a helicopter near Kugluktuk; 8 chemically immobilized from a helicopter near Norman Wells, Northwest Territories; 17 shot from snowmobiles near Cambridge Bay, Nunavut; 33 chemically immobilized from a snowmobile near Kugluktuk) and one of tame muskoxen (five tame animals maintained on pasture near Saskatoon, Saskatchewan). All samples were analyzed for cortisol, and 26 serum biochemistry parameters were measured in serum collected from three of the six groups (n = 36). Comparison of four groups showed that serum cortisol levels of muskoxen chemically immobilized from a helicopter near Kugluktuk were significantly higher(p < 0.05) than those of muskoxen chemically immobilized from snowmobiles or shot. A comparison of serum biochemistry from the groups of muskoxen shot and immobilized near Kugluktuk found that serum sodium, creatinine, phosphorus, magnesium, and creatine kinase were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in hunted muskoxen than in chemically immobilized animals, while urea, glucose and gamma glutamyl transferase were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in immobilized muskoxen. Most serum biochemical parameters, however, were similar to those of captive muskoxen. This evidence of differences between hunted and immobilized muskoxen in several serum biochemistry parameters will contribute to further research on the effects of immobilization and other health assessments in this species.Le boeuf musqué (Ovibos moschatus) est un ruminant adapté à l’Arctique qui est natif des régions arctiques du Canada, de l’Alaska et du Groenland. On en sait peu à propos de la biochimie du sérum et du cortisol du sérum de cette espèce ou encore, à propos des effets de l’immobilisation chimique sur les paramètres biochimiques du sérum. Cette étude visait à décrire les paramètres de la chimie du sang et les taux de cortisol chez les boeufs musqués chassés, apprivoisés et chimiquement immobilisés, de même qu’à examiner les différences sur le plan des paramètres de la chimie du sang et des degrés de stress en fonction de diverses méthodes de capture. Du sérum a été prélevé auprès de 91 femelles adultes du nord du Canada. Aux fins de l’analyse, ces boeufs musqués ont été classés en six groupes, dont cinq des groupes étaient composés de boeufs musqués en liberté (10 des boeufs avaient été tirés depuis des motoneiges près de Kugluktuk, au Nunavut; 18 avaient été chimiquement immobilisés à partir d’un hélicoptère près de Kugluktuk; 8 avaient été chimiquement immobilisés à partir d’un hélicoptère près de Norman Wells, dans les Territoires du Nord-Ouest; 17 avaient été tirés depuis des motoneiges près de Cambridge Bay, au Nunavut; 33 avaient été chimiquement immobilisés depuis une motoneige près de Kugluktuk) et l’autre groupe était composé de boeufs musqués apprivoisés (5 bêtes évoluant dans des pâturages près de Saskatoon, en Saskatchewan). Dans tous les cas, le cortisol des échantillons a été analysé, puis 26 paramètres biochimiques du sérum ont été mesurés à partir du sérum recueilli chez trois des six groupes (n = 36). Les comparaisons établies pour quatre des groupes ont permis de constater que les taux de cortisol du sérum des boeufs musqués chimiquement immobilisés à partir d’un hélicoptère près de Kugluktuk étaient considérablement plus élevés (p < 0,05) que ceux des boeufs musqués qui avaient été chimiquement immobilisés depuis une motoneige ou qui avaient été tirés. La comparaison de la biochimie du sérum chez les boeufs musqués tirés et immobilisés près de Kugluktuk a permis de déceler que le sodium du sérum, la créatinine, le phosphore, le magnésium et la créatine kinase étaient considérablement plus élevés (p < 0,05) chez le boeuf musqué chassé que chez le boeuf musqué chimiquement immobilisé, tandis que l’urée, le glucose et la gamma-glutamyl-transférase étaient considérablement plus élevés (p < 0,05) chez le boeuf musqué immobilisé. Cependant, la plupart des paramètres biochimiques du sérum étaient semblables à ceux des boeufs musqués en captivité. Ces différences évidentes sur le plan de nombreux paramètres biochimiques du sérum entre le boeuf musqué chassé et le boeuf musqué immobilisé permettront d’approfondir les recherches sur les effets de l’immobilisation et d’autres évaluations de santé de cette espèce

1866-1867 Nominations of agents for the Passamaquoddy Tribe

https://digitalmaine.com/native_tribal_docs/1101/thumbnail.jp

Demographic and Spatiotemporal Patterns of Avian Influenza Infection at the Continental Scale, and in Relation to Annual Life Cycle of a Migratory Host

Since the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in the eastern hemisphere, numerous surveillance programs and studies have been undertaken to detect the occurrence, distribution, or spread of avian influenza viruses (AIV) in wild bird populations worldwide. To identify demographic determinants and spatiotemporal patterns of AIV infection in long distance migratory waterfowl in North America, we fitted generalized linear models with binominal distribution to analyze results from 13,574 blue-winged teal (Anas discors, BWTE) sampled in 2007 to 2010 year round during AIV surveillance programs in Canada and the United States. Our analyses revealed that during late summer staging (July-August) and fall migration (September-October), hatch year (HY) birds were more likely to be infected than after hatch year (AHY) birds, however there was no difference between age categories for the remainder of the year (winter, spring migration, and breeding period), likely due to maturing immune systems and newly acquired immunity of HY birds. Probability of infection increased non-linearly with latitude, and was highest in late summer prior to fall migration when densities of birds and the proportion of susceptible HY birds in the population are highest. Birds in the Central and Mississippi flyways were more likely to be infected compared to those in the Atlantic flyway. Seasonal cycles and spatial variation of AIV infection were largely driven by the dynamics of AIV infection in HY birds, which had more prominent cycles and spatial variation in infection compared to AHY birds. Our results demonstrate demographic as well as seasonal, latitudinal and flyway trends across Canada and the US, while illustrating the importance of migratory host life cycle and age in driving cyclical patterns of prevalence

Wild Bird Influenza Survey, Canada, 2005

Of 4,268 wild ducks sampled in Canada in 2005, real-time reverse transcriptase–PCR detected influenza A matrix protein (M1) gene sequence in 37% and H5 gene sequence in 5%. Mallards accounted for 61% of samples, 73% of M1-positive ducks, and 90% of H5-positive ducks. Ducks hatched in 2005 accounted for 80% of the sample

Averting biodiversity collapse in tropical forest protected areas

The rapid disruption of tropical forests probably imperils global biodiversity more than any other contemporary phenomenon¹⁻³. With deforestation advancing quickly, protected areas are increasingly becoming final refuges for threatened species and natural ecosystem processes. However, many protected areas in the tropics are themselves vulnerable to human encroachment and other environmental stresses⁴⁻⁹. As pressures mount, it is vital to know whether existing reserves can sustain their biodiversity. A critical constraint in addressing this question has been that data describing a broad array of biodiversity groups have been unavailable for a sufficiently large and representative sample of reserves. Here we present a uniquely comprehensive data set on changes over the past 20 to 30 years in 31 functional groups of species and 21 potential drivers of environmental change, for 60 protected areas stratified across the world’s major tropical regions. Our analysis reveals great variation in reserve ‘health’: about half of all reserves have been effective or performed passably, but the rest are experiencing an erosion of biodiversity that is often alarmingly widespread taxonomically and functionally. Habitat disruption, hunting and forest-product exploitation were the strongest predictors of declining reserve health. Crucially, environmental changes immediately outside reserves seemed nearly as important as those inside in determining their ecological fate, with changes inside reserves strongly mirroring those occurring around them. These findings suggest that tropical protected areas are often intimately linked ecologically to their surrounding habitats, and that a failure to stem broad-scale loss and degradation of such habitats could sharply increase the likelihood of serious biodiversity declines.Keywords: Ecology, Environmental scienc