USGS National Wildlife Health Center
Quarterly Wildlife Mortality Report October 2000 to December 2000 |
Reported State |
Location |
Dates |
Species |
Mortality |
Diagnosis |
Reported By |
PA |
McKean, Warren,
Vernango, and Crawford Counties |
05/01/00-07/31/00 |
Little Brown Bat |
50(e) |
Open |
NW, PA |
AL |
Baldwin Co.,
Gulf Shores |
07/01/00-12/30/00 |
Unidentified Pelican,
Common Loon,
Double-crested Cormorant,
Unidentified Gull |
Northern Gannet |
100 (e) |
Open, NW |
AR |
Clark Co., De Gray Lake |
11/27/00-ongoing |
American Coot |
5(e) |
Avian vacuolar myelinopathy |
SC |
AZ |
Santa Cruz Co., Tumacacori Nat'l Historic Park |
10/22/00-10/23/00 |
Violet-green Swallow |
60 |
Emaciation:
Starvation suspect |
FL, NW |
CA |
Alemeda Co., Brooks Is. Caspian Tern |
08/14/00-08/26/00 |
Western Gull |
50
(e) |
Emaciation
|
NW
|
CA |
Sacramento
NWR Complex |
09/26/00-10/13/00 |
Gadwall Duck,
Northern Shoveler,
Ring-necked Duck,
American Coot |
40(e) |
Botulism
type C suspect |
NW |
CA |
Sacramento
NWR Complex |
11/01/00-ongoing |
White-fronted Goose,
American Coot,
Snow Goose,
Northern Shoveler,
Ross' Goose |
300(e) |
Avian cholera,
Lead poisoning |
NW |
CA |
San
Joaquin River NWR |
12/07/00-ongoing
|
Northern Shoveler,
Canada (Aleutian) Goose,
Ruddy Duck |
200 |
Avian cholera |
NW
|
GA |
Burke
County |
09/27/00-10/05/00 |
Brown Thrasher,
Red-eyed Vireo,
Unidentified Passerine,
Red Bat |
30(e) |
Trauma:
Tower strike |
SC |
GA |
Burke County |
12/24/00-12/24/00 |
Bald Eagle |
1 |
Toxicosis:
Rodenticide |
SC |
GA |
Floyd Co., Rome |
10/14/00-10/17/00 |
Rock Dove |
8 |
Toxicosis:Avitrol |
SC |
GA |
Forsyth Co.,
Lake Lanier |
07/26/00-07/26/00 |
Common Grackle |
24 |
Trauma |
SC
|
GA |
Lincoln Co., J. Strom
Thurmond Lake;
Monroe Co., Lake Juliette |
11/13/00-ongoing |
Bald Eagle,
Canada Goose,
Killdeer,
American Coot |
125(e)
|
Avian vacuolar myelinopathy |
NW, SC |
GA |
Taliaferro Co., Alexander
H. Stephens State Park |
09/24/00-09/26/00 |
Pekin Duck,
Hybrid Mallard Duck |
3 |
Botulism
type C |
NW,SC
|
IA |
Scott
Co., Davenport, Nahant Marsh |
03/16/00-04/04/00 |
Canada Goose |
2 |
Lead poisoning |
NW |
IL |
Union Co. Refuge |
12/26/01-01/08/01 |
Mallard Duck,
American Wigeon,
Northern Pintail,
Northern Shoveler,
Canada Goose |
600 (e) |
Avian
cholera |
IL
|
MA |
Cape Cod Nat'l
Seashore |
10/19/00-11/01/00 |
Common Eider |
30 |
Emaciation,
Parasitism:
Acanthocephaliasis |
NW |
MI |
Monroe Co.,
West Sister Is. |
10/12/00-10/15/00
|
Double-crested Cormorant |
7 |
Open |
NW |
MO |
Otter
Slough WMA |
12/13/00-01/10/01 |
Mallard Duck |
60(e) |
Open |
NW |
NC |
Moore Co., Woodlake |
11/04/00-ongoing |
Canada Goose,
American Coot |
125 (e) |
Avian
vacuolar
myelinopathy |
NW
|
NC |
Onslow Co. |
05/23/00-08/23/00 |
Southern Leopard Frog,
Barking Tree Frog |
9(e) |
Fungal infection:
Chytrid |
NW |
ND |
McIntosh Co., Kulm WMD |
07/26/00-09/06/00 |
Mallard Duck,
American Coot,
Northern Pintail,
Blue-winged Teal,
Gadwall Duck |
1,768 |
Botulism
type C |
NW
|
NJ |
Edwin B. Forsythe NWR |
11/09/00-ongoing |
Atlantic Brant |
700 (e) |
Open |
NW, NJ |
OH |
Medina
Co.,
Medina |
10/15/00-10/15/00 |
Mallard
Duck |
10 |
Toxicosis:
Organophosphate suspect |
NW |
OR |
Ankeny NWR |
10/23/00-11/01/00 |
Canada (Cackling) Goose |
100(e)
|
Aspergillosis
|
NW
|
SC |
Richland Co., Lake Murray;
McCormick Co, J. Strom Thurmond Lake;
Barnwell Co., Savannah River Ponds |
11/13/00-ongoing
|
Great-horned Owl,
American Coot,
Canada Goose |
25
(e) |
Avian
vacuolar
myelinopathy |
NW,SC |
TX |
San
Bernard NWR |
11/20/00-12/01/00 |
Snow
Goose |
75(e)
|
Open
|
NW
|
VA |
Henrico
Co., Richmond |
05/15/00-06/20/00
|
Mourning
Dove |
15(e)
|
Parasitism:
Trichomoniasis |
SC
|
WI |
Brown Co., Green Bay |
11/15/00-11/30/00
|
Richardson's Goose,
Canada Goose |
177 |
Lead poisoning |
WI
|
WI |
Shawano Co.,
Shawano Lake |
09/26/00-11/15/00 |
Unidentified Scaup,
Mallard Duck,
Ruddy Duck,
Ring-necked Duck,
American Coot |
3,299
|
Parasitism:
Leyogonimus sp.,
Sphaeridiotrema sp.,
Cyathocotyle
bushiensis |
NW
|
WV |
Berkeley Co. |
06/11/00-06/11/00
|
Common Grackle |
5 |
Toxicosis: Parathion |
SC |
WV |
Nicholas Co., Summersville |
07/01/00-10/05/00 |
Mourning Dove |
15(e) |
Parasitism:
Trichomoniasis |
SC |
Updates and Corrections: |
Reported State |
Location |
Dates |
Species |
Mortality |
Diagnosis |
Reported By |
CA |
Sonny Bono
Salton Sea NWR |
05/22/00-11/22/00 |
American White Pelican,
Brown Pelican |
600*(e)
900 (e) |
Botulism
type C |
NW |
NY NJ, MD,
MA, RI, CT,
PA, NH, VT,
DE, VA, NC |
Spread
through states |
05/20/00-10/18/00 |
Blue Jay,
Fish Crow,
American Crow |
5000(e) |
West Nile virus |
NW,NY,
AS |
WI |
Columbia Co.,
Portage |
06/12/97-06/28/97 |
Unidentified Frog |
18 |
Viral infection:
Iridovirus |
NW
|
WY |
Mortensen NWR;
Carbon Co.,
Nat'l Fish Hatchery |
09/08/00-09/08/00 |
Wyoming Toad |
3 |
Fungal infection:
Chytrid |
NW |
(e) = estimate, * = morbidity and mortality
All participating State Health Departments (AS), Illinois State Diagnostic Lab
(IL), National Wildlife Health Center (NW), New Jersey Department of Fish &
Wildlife (NJ), New York State Department of Environmental Contaminants (NY),
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PA), Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife
Disease Study (SC), US Fish & Wildlife Service
Forensics Lab (FL), Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WI).
Written and compiled by Kathryn Converse, Kimberli Miller, Linda Glaser, and
Audra Schrader, National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC). To report mortality or
if you would like specific information on these mortalities, contact one of the
following NWHC staff: Western US Kathryn Converse; Eastern US--Kimberli Miller;
Hawaiian Islands--Thierry Work. Phone (608) 270-2400, FAX (608) 270-2415 or E-mail kathy_converse@usgs.gov. National
Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison, WI 53711.
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Quarterly Mortality Reports |
Atlantic Brant in New Jersey
Atlantic brant are small dark geese that breed in the
arctic and winter primarily along the New Jersey coast. Approximately 95,000 brant
were recently counted during the midwinter population surveys of coastal New Jersey.
Brant mortality was first noted in early November when sick and dead birds were
found on a shallow freshwater impoundment on the US Fish and Wildlife Service,
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge. Sick birds were isolated away from
the flock and sat hunched up with their wings out and heads hanging down to one
side. Birds had difficulty flying or swimming and most died shortly after capture;
both adults and juveniles were affected. Affected birds were primarily found on
the refuge although some carcasses were found up to 15 miles away. By early December
mortality had ended and approximately 700 carcasses were collected. Although a variety
of avian species were present on the freshwater impoundment, brant appear to be the
only species affected. There were no observed fish kills or unusual mammal morbidity or mortality.
Carcasses submitted to NWHC and the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife were
generally in good body condition with clear viscous fluid noted in the mouth
and nostrils of some birds as well as pulmonary edema and dark, red, wet lungs.
Some birds had hemorrhages in the skin and breast muscles as well as on the
surfaces of the heart, proventriculus, gizzard and colon. Bacterial and viral
isolation and detection attempts by a variety of methods including electron
microscopy have not revealed the etiologic agent. Specifically, special
cultures and tests for West Nile virus, duck plague, Newcastle disease and
avian influenza have been negative. Brain acetylcholinesterase activity has
been within normal limits and tests for botulinum toxins and rodenticides were
negative. The cause of the mortality is undetermined.
Hunters were advised to avoid shooting or eating brant.
Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy
(AVM) is a neurologic disease first detected in bald eagles in Arkansas in 1994.
It has now been confirmed in American coots and other species on 10 lakes in 4 southern
states. This fall, a number of bald eagles died on J. Strom Thurmond Lake (a.k.a.
Clark's Hill Lake) on the Georgia-South Carolina border; AVM mortality was first
documented on this lake in 1998. The Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study
(SCWDS) in Athens, Georgia confirmed AVM in 8 of 13 eagles submitted from the Lake
(5 eagles unsuitable for examination) as well as coots, 2 Canada geese, a great horned
owl and a killdeer. This is the greatest number of bald eagles affected with AVM outside
of De Gray Lake in Arkansas. It is also the first confirmation of AVM in Canada geese,
great horned owl and killdeer. Disease specialists from the National Wildlife Health Center
and SCWDS visited the lake in late November and continued to monitor the site and work with the states.
Through monitoring and surveillance activities, SCWDS confirmed AVM this
year in coots at known AVM sites including Lake Juliette, GA; 2 lakes near Aiken,
SC; De Gray Lake, AR and in a Canada goose on Lake Murray, SC. In early November,
a high percentage of the several thousand coots on Woodlake, NC appeared to be
exhibiting clinical signs consistent with AVM. AVM research projects are underway
including a sentinel bird study, feeding trials,
vegetation and water analysis and mammal and fish sampling.
Common Eiders at Cape Code National Seashore From
mid to late October, 20-30 common eiders may have washed ashore at the Cape Cod
National Seashore in Massachusetts. Approximately 5,000 eider were rafting in the
vicinity. Specimens submitted to NWHC were emaciated and acanthocephalan parasites were present in the intestine.
The cause of the emaciation was not determined.
American Coot Mortality in Wisconsin
Leyogonimus and Sphaeridiotrema parasites were again the cause of mortality in
American coot and waterfowl on Shawano Lake northwest of Green Bay, Wisconsin.
A total of 3165 coots, 109 scaup and 20 mallard, ruddy and ring-necked ducks were
collected on the lake from late September through mid November. Leyogonimus parasites
are primarily found in the coots and Sphaeridiotrema in the waterfowl. A third parasite,
Cyathocotyle has been found in both the coots and waterfowl. The NWHC parasitology
department is collaborating with University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point to determine the life cycle of the
Leyogonimus parasite and the epidemiology of the die-off.
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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