Wildlife News Roundup (May 11-17, 2013) | The Wildlife Society News

A portion of the Experimental Lakes Area (ELA) in Ontario, Canada which is under threat of closure. The ELA comprises 58 lakes that were once pristine and have been used since 1968 to study the effects of environmental stresses on freshwater ecosystems. (Credit: Fisheries and Oceans Canada)

Experimental Lakes Deal Allows Research to go on as Transfer Talks Continue
(CTV News)
Forty-four years of continuous freshwater research at the world-renowned Experimental Lakes Area in northwestern Ontario will not be interrupted this summer after all. The Canadian federal government has agreed to permit continuing data collection this season as it wraps up negotiations with a Winnipeg-based, non-governmental research institute to take over management of the remote, 58-lake facility. More

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NEWS FROM NORTH AMERICA

Senate Agriculture Committee Plows Forward on Farm Bill
(National Journal)
The Senate Agriculture Committee approved a five-year farm bill that reveals a new consensus on crop and nutrition policy, but it emerged over the objections of three Republican senators from the Plains ? Pat Roberts of Kansas, Mike Johanns of Nebraska, and John Thune of South Dakota ? who offered amendments on food stamps and commodities that a majority of the panel rejected. More

Senate Panel Advances Nominee for EPA
(The New York Times)
A sharply divided Senate committee approved the nomination of Gina McCarthy to serve as administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. The Environment and Public Works Committee voted to clear Ms. McCarthy by 10-to-8 along strictly partisan lines, sending the nomination to the Senate floor where Republicans are threatening to filibuster unless the EPA meets demands for additional information. More

Rise in Roadkill Requires New Solutions
(Scientific American)
In the 1960s, widening U.S. Highway 27 just north of Tallahassee cut Florida?s Lake Jackson into two sections. When water levels fell too low in either part, thousands of turtles, frogs, snakes and alligators would hit the road to head for the other side?where cars and trucks often hit the animals. In February of 2000, Matt Aresco, then a PhD student at Florida State University, drove through and was stunned at the sight of dozens of crushed turtles. More

Grand River Asian Carp Catch is ?Bad News?
(The London Free Press)
It was an 18.5-kg. catch nobody wanted to see landed in Ontario. Caught by a surprised angler on the Grand River near Lake Erie, the dreaded Asian carp has raised alarms the highly invasive, destructive species could gain a toehold in the Great Lakes water system. ?We don?t want these fish anywhere in Ontario,? John Cooper of Ontario?s Ministry of Natural Resources said. More

Florida Panther Kitten Rescued, Recovering from Surgery
(Naples News)
A young Florida panther that likely had been hit by a vehicle was rescued from Golden Gate Estates, wildlife officials reported. A homeowner called the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission after seeing the 9-month-old female panther dragging its rear leg. Wildlife officers and panther biologists, Collier County sheriff?s deputies and workers from the Golden Gate Animal Clinic found the panther in thick brush and sedated it. More

Bison Hazing Begins Near West Yellowstone
(Bozeman Daily Chronicle)
The spring bison haze is already a bit of a Montana spectacle. But with the warm weather this year, a performance artist has joined the chaotic army of horseback riders, cameramen and the resurrected Department of Livestock helicopter that push bison across the state line and into Yellowstone National Park. On Wednesday morning, riders from the Montana Department of Livestock and Fish, Wildlife & Parks trotted through the backyards of some of the homes on Horse Butte. More

WILDLIFE HEALTH AND DISEASE NEWS

Frogs Once Used in Pregnancy Tests Spread Deadly Fungus
(The New York Times)
A species of frog that was used from the 1930s to the 1950s in human pregnancy tests is a carrier of a deadly amphibian disease that is now threatening hundreds of other species of frogs and salamanders. The species, the African clawed frog, was shipped across the world for use in human pregnancy tests, until a different method evolved for determining whether a woman is pregnant. More

Invasive Ladybirds Wage ?Biological War? on Natives
(BBC)
German researchers have discovered the biological keys to the success of an invasive species, wreaking havoc across Europe and the U.S. The Asian ladybird was originally brought in to control aphids in greenhouses. But it has escaped and is increasing uncontrollably across Europe, wiping out native species. The alien is winning, say scientists, because its body fluid contains a parasite toxic to other insects. More

Deadly Virus Threatening Lions in India
(Times of India)
A deadly virus that wiped out a significant number of wild lions in the African Serengeti in mid 1990s is now threatening Gir ? home to India?s only population of lions. Scientists in India recently found Pestes des Petits Ruminants Virus to be behind the death of a lion in Gir ? the first such incident ever. PPRV is the same virus that in 1994 killed 1,000 lions ? one-third of the Serengeti population. More

Disease-Carrying African Mongoose Poses Serious Threat to Humans
(redOrbit)
New research from Virginia Tech has identified the banded mongoose as one of the biggest public health threats in Africa. According to their report in the journal Zoonoses and Public Health, the mongoose carries a deadly disease called leptospirosis that spreads easily to humans. Often misdiagnosed as malaria, leptospirosis usually begins with a fever and can progress into liver failure, meningitis and eventually death. More

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

In Vietnam, Rhino Horns Worth Weight in Gold
(allAfrica)
At first glance, the poster appears to be a typical advertisement for an African safari: a large rhinoceros set against a rugged, open terrain. Then you take a closer look and realize something is amiss. A cluster of human hands has replaced the two horns that distinguish this African animal from the single-horned Indian and Javan rhino. A message over the creature?s head reads: ?Rhino horn is made of the same stuff as human nails. Still want some?? More

UK?s Rare Spring Butterflies Make a Late Show
(BBC)
The U.K.?s spring butterflies are being welcomed by enthusiasts, but weeks later than they usually arrive. The second-coldest March on record contributed to the delayed emergence of many rare species, according to the charity Butterfly Conservation. ?First sightings? recorded by the public showed the insects typically appeared a fortnight later than normal. One rare species ? the grizzled skipper ? emerged a month later than last year. More

Source: http://news.wildlife.org/featured/wildlife-news-roundup-may-11-17-2013/

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