13 research outputs found
Phylogenetic evidence of canine distemper virus in Serengeti's lions.
Recently an epizootic, reported to be due to a morbillivirus infection, affected the lion population of the Tanzanian Serengeti National Park. A morbillivirus phosphoprotein (P) gene fragment was amplified by PCR from tissue samples of several affected lions. Sequencing of the amplificates and subsequent phylogenetic analyses revealed that a wild-type strain of canine distemper morbillivirus (CDV) was involved. Vaccination of the local domestic dog population with proven safe CDV vaccines is proposed
Of cats and Haruspices*: genetic intervention in the Florida panther. Response to Pimm et al. (2006)
The Role of Scavenging in Disease Dynamics
Contents
Introduction................ 161
The Use of Animal Remains and the Exposure of Scavengers to Disease........ 163
The Relevance of Scavenging for Pathogens to Spread and Persist.......... 166
Human Related Factors Resulting in Increased Risk for Disease Transmission Through Scavenging.............. 170
Management of Scavenging to Reduce Disease Risks.............. 173
Restoration of Large Predators.................. 174
Elimination of Hunting of Scavengers............ 174
Destruction of Big Game and Domestic Animal Carcasses........... 174
Restoration of the Effects of Overabundance............. 175
Excluding Mammalian and Avian Scavengers from Natural Carrions.......... 176
Excluding Mammalian and Avian Scavengers from Vulture Restaurants........... 176
Conclusions and Future Perspectives........... 178
References............... 17
Biodiversity, Biological Uncertainty, and Setting Conservation Priorities
In a world of massive extinctions where not all taxa can be saved, how ought biologists to decide their preservation priorities? When biologists make recommendations regarding conservation, should their analyses be based on scientific criteria, on public or lay criteria, on economic or some other criteria? As a first step in answering this question, we examine the issue of whether biologists ought to try to save the endangered Florida panther, a well known âglamourâ taxon. To evaluate the merits of panther preservation, we examine three important arguments of biologists who are skeptical about the desirability of panther preservation. These arguments are (1) that conservation dollars ought to be spent in more efficient ways than panther preservation; (2) that biologists and conservationists ought to work to preserve species before subspecies; and (3) that biologists and conservationists ought to work to save habitats before species or subspecies. We conclude that, although all three arguments are persuasive, none of them provides convincing grounds for foregoing panther preservation in favor of other, more scientifically significant conservation efforts. Our conclusion is based, in part, on the argument that biologists ought to employ ethical, as well as scientific, rationality in setting conservation priorities and that ethical rationality may provide persuasive grounds for preserving taxa that often are not viewed by biologists as of great importance