USGS National Wildlife Health Center
Quarterly Wildlife Mortality Report July 1996 to September 1996 |
Reported State |
Location |
Dates |
Species |
Mortality |
Diagnosis |
Reported By |
Pribilof Islands |
AK |
02/16/96-03/05/96 |
King Eider; Common Murre; Oldsquaw; Crested Auklet; Parakeet Auklet |
1,146(e) |
Toxicosis: petroleum (oil) |
NW |
Tuscallosa |
AL |
08/14/96-08/20/96 |
Purple Martin |
16 |
Bird deterrent suspect |
NW |
Lower Klamath NWR; White Lake |
CA |
07/10/96-10/01/96 |
Mallard; Northern Pintail; American Coot; Green-winged Teal; Northern Shoveler |
8,220 |
Botulism type C |
NW |
San Luis Obispo County |
CA |
07/11/96-07/28/96 |
Southern Sea Otter |
7 |
Open |
NW |
Lake Tahoe |
CA |
06/05/96-06/05/96 |
Canada Goose |
8 |
Toxicosis: diazinon |
CA |
Salton Sea NWR |
CA |
08/10/96-11/12/96 |
Snowy Egret; Great Egret |
45 |
Salmonellosis |
NW |
Salton Sea NWR |
CA |
08/01/96-11/12/96 |
American White Pelican; Brown Pelican; Great Egret; Ring-billed Gull; Unidentified Gull |
14,109 |
Botulism type C |
NW |
Sacramento NWR Complex |
CA |
08/19/96-11/01/96 |
Mallard; Northern Pintail; Green-winged Teal; American Coot; Northern Shoveler |
5,250(e) |
Botulism type C |
NW |
Bishop Park |
CA |
08/30/96-08/30/96 |
Hybrid Mallard |
8 |
Botulism suspect |
CA |
Cabrillo,Long Beach |
CA |
07/26/96-07/30/96 |
Black-crowned Night Heron |
5 |
Steatitis |
NW |
Evergreen |
CO |
07/01/96-08/30/96 |
Red Crossbill |
50 |
Salmonellosis |
CSU |
Washington Monument |
DC |
09/19/96-09/19/96 |
Unidentified Warbler |
35 |
Trauma suspect |
NW |
Wilmington |
DE |
08/08/96-08/13/96 |
Semipalmated Sandpiper; Lesser Yellowlegs |
150(e) |
Open |
NW |
Arlington Heights |
IL |
07/16/96-07/16/96 |
Mallard |
14 |
Botulism suspect |
IL |
Chicago O'Hare Field |
IL |
08/23/96-09/20/96 |
Mallard; Unidentified Shorebird; Blue-winged Teal |
150(e) |
Botulism type C |
NW |
Louisville Zoo |
KY |
07/30/96-09/01/96 |
Mallard; Black-crowned; Night Heron; Wood Duck |
44 |
Botulism type C |
NW |
Crestview Hills |
KY |
08/19/96-09/22/96 |
Mallard; Canada Goose; Domestic Duck; Domestic Goose |
45 |
Botulism type C |
NW |
Mammoth Cave National Park |
KY |
08/22/96-08/29/96 |
Eastern Pipistrelle Bat |
20(e) |
Predation |
NW |
Belfast |
ME |
08/27/96-09/10/96 |
Canada Goose |
3 |
Open |
NW |
Cyrus Lake |
MN |
09/15/96-09/26/96 |
Wood Duck; Mallard; American Coot; Blue-winged Teal; Double-crested Cormorant |
90 |
Botulism suspect |
NW |
Horsehead Lake |
ND |
07/09/96-10/03/96 |
Unidentified Duck; Unidentified Shorebird; Northern Pintail; Unidentified Bird; Green-winged Teal |
8,369 |
Botulism type C |
NW |
Lake Alice NWR |
ND |
07/10/96-09/16/96 |
American Coot; Mallard; Northern Shoveler; Northern Pintail; American Wigeon |
2,074 |
Botulism type C |
NW |
Schnabel WPA, Lake Venturia |
ND |
07/15/96-10/08/96 |
Unidentified Duck; American Coot; Unidentified Shorebird; Gadwall; Blue-winged Teal |
6,951 |
Botulism type C |
NW |
Chase Lake NWR |
ND |
07/20/96-09/30/96 |
California Gull; Double-crested Cormorant; American White Pelican; Unidentified Shorebird; Marbled Godwit |
775(e) |
Botulism type C |
NW |
Valley City WMD; Ten Mile Lake |
ND |
07/25/96-10/03/96 |
American Coot; Unidentified Waterfowl; Unidentified Gull; Unidentified Shorebird; Unidentified Phalarope |
350(e) |
Botulism type C |
NW |
Chase Lake NWR (Kutz WPA) |
ND |
09/09/96-09/16/96 |
American Coot; Blue-winged Teal; Mallard |
55(e) |
Botulism type C |
NW |
Dewald Slough |
ND |
08/02/96-09/09/96 |
Western Grebe; Mallard; American Coot; Unidentified Duck; Blue-winged Teal |
199 |
Parasitism: Schistosomiasis |
NW |
Crescent Lake NWR |
NE |
07/22/96-08/19/96 |
Western Grebe; Ring-billed Gull |
70 |
Botulism type C |
NW |
Stillwater NWR |
NV |
06/22/96-06/22/96 |
Muskrat |
2 |
Open |
NW |
Desert Shores |
NV |
07/16/96-07/26/96 |
American Coot; Hybrid Mallard |
8 |
Botulism suspect |
CA |
Lake County |
OH |
06/10/96-06/11/96 |
Canada Goose |
10 |
Toxicosis: organophosphorus compound |
NW |
St Mary's (Grand Lake) |
OH |
08/20/96-09/18/96 |
Mallard; Canada Goose; Wood Duck; Double-crested Cormorant |
30 |
Botulism type C |
NW |
Malheur NWR |
OR |
05/15/95-07/31/95 |
Sandhill Crane |
23 |
Trauma |
NW |
Malheur NWR |
OR |
05/14/96-06/28/96 |
Sandhill Crane |
32 |
Trauma |
NW |
Sand Lake NWR |
SD |
07/30/96-08/23/96 |
Mallard; Unidentified Bird; Franklin's Gull; Gadwall; American Coot |
802 |
Botulism type C |
NW |
Neuharth WPA |
SD |
08/15/96-09/06/96 |
Unidentified Duck |
300 |
Botulism suspect |
NW |
Bitter Lake |
SD |
08/26/96-09/03/96 |
Mallard ; Gadwall; Blue-winged Teal; Green-winged Teal; American Coot |
454 |
Botulism type C |
NW |
Prince George County |
VA |
08/22/96-08/29/96 |
Mallard; Canada Goose |
14 |
Botulism type C |
NW |
Horicon NWR Redhead Unit |
WI |
08/07/96-09/23/96 |
Mallard; Wood Duck; Northern Shoveler; Green-winged Teal; Northern Pintail |
75(e) |
Botulism type C |
NW |
Ouray NWR; Wyasket Lake |
UT |
07/16/96-09/25/96 |
Unidentified Waterfowl; Mallard; Green-winged Teal; White-faced Ibis; Unidentified Gull |
607 |
Botulism type C |
NW |
Cashmere |
WA |
05/08/96-05/08/96 |
Mallard; Hybrid Mallard |
12 |
Toxicosis: organophosphorus compound |
NW |
LaCrosse |
WI |
07/14/96-07/30/96 |
Mallard |
35(e) |
Botulism suspect |
NW |
Canada |
Middle Quill (Mud) Lake |
SAS (Canada) |
09/06/96-09/25/96 |
Northern Pintail; Unidentified Duck |
3,200 |
Botulism type C |
CCW |
Whitewater Lake |
MAN |
07/08/96-09/20/96 |
Unidentified Duck; Unidentified Bird; Northern Shoveler; Green-winged Teal; Blue-winged Teal |
117,052 |
Botulism type C |
CCW |
Pakowki Lake |
ALB |
07/19/96-09/19/96 |
Unidentified Duck |
12,000(e) |
Botulism type C |
CCW |
Banks Island |
NWT |
07/01/96-07/08/96 |
Snow Goose |
5,500(e) |
Avian cholera |
NW |
Chaplin Marsh |
SAS |
08/22/96-09/19/96 |
Unidentified Duck; Unidentified Bird |
704 |
Botulism type C |
CCW |
Old Wives Lake |
SAS |
09/01/96-09/30/96 |
Unidentified Duck |
100,000(e) |
Botulism type C |
CCW |
(e) = estimate; * = morbidity and mortality
Alaska Fish and Game Department (AK), Arizona Game and Fish Department
(AZ), B.C. Ministry of Environment (BC), Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Center
(CCW), Center for Disease Control (CDC), California Fish and Game Wildlife Investigations
Lab (CFG), Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN), USGS National Wildlife Health
Center (NW), New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation (NY), Oregon Dept. of
Fisheries and Wildlife (OR), Animal Diagnostic Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University
(PA), Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCW), San Diego County Veterinary
Diagnostic Laboratory (SDC), Environment Ministry Laboratory of Toronto (TOR), Wyoming Game
and Fish (WY), Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (WA), Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources (WI) , US Army, Fort Meade (USA), University of California Davis (UCD), US
Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).
Written and compiled by Rex Sohn, Western US, Kathryn Converse, Central US, Emi Saito/Grace
McLaughlin - Eastern US, NWHC. The Quarterly Wildlife Mortality Report is available at
http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov. To report mortality or receive information about this report,
contact the above NWHC staff, e-mail: kathy_converse@usgs.gov., or for Hawaiian Islands
contact Thierry Work. Phone: (608) 270-2400, FAX: (608) 270-2415 or write USGS National
Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, WI 53711.
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Quarterly Mortality Reports |
The following
highlights wildlife mortality and morbidity events reported to the
National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) from July through September,
1996.
Forty eight
epizootics were reported this quarter with botulism accounting for
over half of the events.
The Canadian
Cooperative Wildlife Health Center reported high botulism losses
in the Canadian Provinces of Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan
this summer with a combined total of over 230,000 waterfowl found
dead. At Pakowki Lake (native for "bad water"), Alberta, almost
12,000 carcasses were collected. While this loss is significant,
it pales when compared to the massive losses of the previous two
years with over 100,000 and 31,000 waterfowl found dead. In Saskatchewan,
during August and September, substantial botulism mortality occurred
on the areas of Middle Quill (Mud) Lake, Chaplin Marsh and Old Wives
Lake. At Middle Quill Lake, pintails comprised 50% of the 3,200
carcasses picked up. Botulism was recognized for the first time
ever on Chaplin Marsh where 704 carcasses (primarily ducks) were
picked up. A major outbreak occurred in late September on Old Wives
Lake. Access to the lake was difficult, hindering collection and
mortality estimates. Using limited transect sampling, the mortality
was estimated to be about 100,000 birds, primarily dabbling ducks.
In Manitoba, birds began dying on July 8th on a 22,000 acre wetland
of Whitewater Lake. Intensive carcass collection was conducted until
September 18; the 117,052 carcasses collected were comprised of
over 75% ducks.
Botulism was
also reported to NWHC from five national wildlife refuges (NWR)
or wetland management districts (WMD) in North and South Dakota.
Kulm WMD in southern North Dakota reported mortality at five sites
in two counties and botulism was confirmed at four of the sites.
Approximately 6,000 birds were collected at the five sites, primary
dabbling ducks. Long Lake NWR Complex in Kidder and Burleigh counties,
North Dakota reported mortality of 8,250 birds including waterfowl,
coots, terns, gulls, and other waterbirds on four sites. At one
site, Dewald Slough in Kidder County, presence of nesting western
grebes that had died from schistosome flukes may have triggered
the botulism event.
In California,
Klamath Basin NWR reported botulism at White Lake; over 8,000 birds
were picked up out of a population of over 1 million. A "botulism
hospital" was set up and refuge personnel treated between 100 and
150 birds per week during the outbreak.
In addition
to the typical avian botulism in California, Salton Sea NWR in southern
California reported mortality in white and brown pelicans. By the
end of the outbreak, 8,536 white pelicans, 1,129 brown pelicans
and 4,444 waterbirds of other species had been picked up. Botulism
type C was diagnosed in the pelicans and other birds (herons and
egrets included). The occurrence of botulism in fish-eating birds
is unusual and the source of the toxin is unclear. Sick and dead
fish were collected from various sites in the Sea and research is
ongoing.
Evidence of
large scale mortality in nesting snow geese was noted for a second
year on breeding grounds at the Egg River Nesting Colony, Banks
Island, Northwest Territories. NWHC researchers on site for a avian
cholera project, estimated this year's mortality to be at least
5,500 snow geese out of a population of over 500,000. Bones from
remaining carcasses were cultured and found to be positive for Pasteurella
multicida bacteria, the causative agent for avian cholera.
In February,
an oil spill occurred off the coast of St. Paul Island in the Pribilof
Islands of Alaska affecting between two and ten thousand birds;
156 birds were rehabilitated and returned to the wild. Oil "fingerprinting"
confirmed the source of the oil to be from an injured ship which
had required U.S Coast Guard assistance on February 16th. King Eiders
comprised 1,038 of the 1,146 birds collected. On July 12, the legal
case was settled and the entire fine will be paid into the North
American Wetlands Conservation Act Fund.
For additional information please contact Dr. Scott Wright,
USGS National Wildlife Health Center - Disease Investigations Branch Chief, at 608-270-2460 or
Paul Slota, USGS National Wildlife Health Center - Support Services
Branch Chief at 608-270-2420.
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