USGS National Wildlife Health Center
Quarterly Wildlife Mortality Report April 2002 to June 2002 |
Reported State |
Location |
Dates |
Species |
Mortality |
Diagnosis |
Reported By |
AK |
Anchorage |
06/07/02-06/19/02 |
Black-capped Chickadee |
7 |
Open |
NW |
AR |
Garland Co., Lake Ouachita |
12/13/01-01/30/02 |
Bald Eagle |
2 |
Vacuolar myelinopathy |
NW |
CA |
Siskiyou Co., Lower Klameth NWR |
02/15/02-04/15/02 |
American Coot, Snow Goose, Ross' Goose, Tundra Swan |
2000(e) |
Avian Cholera |
NW |
CA |
Los Angeles Co., Zuma Beach |
04/19/02-05/30/02 |
Brown Pelican, Unidentified Loon, Unidentified Grebe |
136 |
Open |
NW |
GA |
Floyd County, Almuchee |
03/11/02-03/11/02 |
Common Grackle |
5 |
Toxicosis: Famphur |
SC |
GA |
Banks County, Commerce |
03/23/02-03/26/02 |
Purple Finch |
2(e) |
Mycoplasma |
SC |
GA |
Ft. Stewart |
03/01/02-03/01/02 |
Bullfrog |
10(e) |
Fungal Infection : chytrid |
NW |
GA |
J Strom Thurmond Lake/Clarks Hill |
10/20/01-01/31/02 |
Canada Goose, Bald Eagle, American Coot |
25(e) |
Vacuolar myelinopathy |
SC |
GA |
Lowndes Co., Moody Air Force Base |
05/20/02-05/20/02 |
Unidentified Sparrow |
11 |
Open: toxicosis suspect |
NW |
GA |
Camden County |
01/09/02-03/09/02 |
Northern Cardinal |
5 |
Salmonellosis |
SC |
GA |
Monroe County |
03/04/02-03/11/02 |
American Goldfinch |
2(E) |
Salmonellosis |
SC |
GA |
Walton County |
03/21/02-04/04/02 |
White-throated Sparrow Pine Siskin, Northern Cardinal, American Goldfinch |
4(e) |
Salmonellosis |
SC |
GA |
Washington County |
05/22/02-06/06/02 |
Brown-headed Cowbird |
1 |
Salmonellosis |
SC |
LA |
Avoyelles Parrish, |
05/15/02-05/15/02 |
Southern Leopard Frog |
13 |
Open |
NW |
LA |
Kenner |
05/17/02-06/10/02 |
Muscovy Duck |
30 |
Duck plague suspect |
LSU |
MD |
Wicomico Co., Salisbury |
10/01/01-04/15/02 |
Unidentified Gull |
200 |
Toxicosis suspect |
MD,NW |
MS |
Hinds County |
05/21/02-06/15/02 |
Red-eared Slider Turtle |
25 |
Fat depletion |
NW |
MT |
Sheridan Co., Medicine Lake NWR |
04/26/02-06/07/02 |
Western Grebe, American White Pelican, Unidentified Gull, Double-crested Cormorant |
22 |
Botulism type C |
NW |
NC |
Onslow Co., Camp. Lejeune MCB |
3/01/02-03/01/02 |
Bullfrog |
5(e) |
Fungal Infection: chytrid |
NW |
NY |
Erie Co., Lackawanna, Bethlehem Steel |
06/25/02-ongoing |
Ring-billed Gull |
3,000(e) |
Botulism type E |
NW |
NY |
Lake Erie shore |
06/10/02-ongoing |
Mudpuppy salamander |
20,000(e) |
Open |
NW |
NY |
Oneida County, Utica |
09/19/01-09/19/01 |
Rock Dove |
1 |
Toxicosis: Avitrol |
NY |
OH |
Hamilton Co., Cincinnati |
04/19/02-04/19/02 |
Double-crested cormorant |
10 |
Electrocution: lightning strike |
NW |
OH |
Mosquito Lake State Park |
05/18/02-05/22/02 |
Purple Martin |
60 |
Open: emaciation/starvation |
NW |
PA |
Erie Co., Presque Isle Bay, Lake Erie |
04/01/01-09/30/01 |
Unidentified Softshell Turtle, Map Turtle |
100(e) |
Pneumonia |
NW |
PA |
Erie Co., Presque Isle State Park |
05/10/02-06/01/02 |
Map Turtle, Painted Turtle |
15(e) |
Enteritis |
NW |
RI |
Washington Co., Cranberry and Opacum Ponds |
06/15/02-07/15/02 |
Wood Fro, Painted Turtle |
100(e) |
Viral Infection: Iridovirus |
NW |
SC |
Aiken County |
04/24/02-04/24/02 |
Canada Goose |
2 |
Toxicosis: diazinon |
SC |
SD |
Brown Co., Aberdeen |
04/24/02-04/24/02 |
Cedar Waxwing, Common Grackle, Northern Flicker, American Crow, American Robin |
100 (e) |
Open |
NW |
UT |
Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge |
05/30/02-06/05/02 |
Western Grebe, Clark's Grebe |
30(e) |
Emaciation |
NW |
UT |
Kane Co., Big Water |
06/28/02-07/07/02 |
House Finch, Yellow-breasted Chat |
6 |
Open |
NW |
UT |
Iron Co., Cedar City, and Parowan |
05/16/02-05/31/02 |
Pine Siskin, Evening Grosbeak |
51(e) |
Salmonellosis |
NW |
UT |
Uintah Co., Roosevelt |
05/22/02-06/10/02 |
Cassin's Finch, Pine Siskin |
36(e) |
Salmonellosis |
NW |
VT |
Grand Isle Co., South Hero |
03/25/02-04/10/02 |
Northern Leopard Frog |
100(e) |
Exposure suspect |
NW |
WA |
King Co., Seattle |
05/02/02-05/02/02 |
American Crow |
2 |
Toxicosis: organophosphorus cmpd. suspect |
NW |
WI |
Upper Mississippi NWR, LaCrosse |
06/26/02-07/01/02 |
Mallard Duck |
5(e) |
Open: emancipation/starvation |
NW |
Updates and Corrections: |
Reported State |
Location |
Dates |
Species |
Mortality |
Diagnosis |
Reported By |
FL |
Okaloosa Co., Destin Harbor |
02/01/02-ongoing |
Brown Pelican, Common Loon, Osprey, American White Pelican Wood Duck |
60(e) |
Open |
NW |
FL |
Everglades National Park |
02/25/02-03/30/02 |
Cuban Tree Frog |
15(e) |
Viral Infection: Iridovirus |
NW |
IL |
Winnebago Co., Rockford |
12/26/01-ongoing |
House Sparrow |
120(e) |
Salmonellosis |
NW |
(e) = estimate, * = morbidity and mortality
New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation (NY), Southeastern
Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SC), USGS National Wildlife Health
Center (NW), Louisiana State University (LSU), Maryland Department
of Agriculture (MD).
Written and compiled by Kathryn Converse/Rex Sohn -
Western US, Grace McLaughlin - Eastern US and Christine Lemanski,
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, or for Hawaiian Islands contact Thierry Work.
Phone: (608) 270-2400, FAX: (608) 270-2415 or e-mail: kathy_converse@usgs.gov.
USGS National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Road, Madison,
WI 53711.
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Quarterly Mortality Reports |
Continuing mortalities associated with Lake Erie.
For the fourth consecutive year, there were a variety of mortality
reports associated with Lake Erie. Starting in May 2002, approximately
a dozen common map turtles died in a small area of Presque Isle
Bay, Pennsylvania. Some turtles submitted to NWHC had severe, fibrinous,
necrotizing enteritis; no etiologic agent was identified. In late
June, there were reports of more than 10,000 dead mudpuppies (Necturus
sp.) along the southern shore of Lake Erie in New York; 1-3 mudpuppies,
up to 30 cm in length, found per meter of shoreline. Residents along
the north shore of Lake Erie in Ontario Canada, reported hundreds
of dead mudpuppies. About 32 km west of this mortality, the Canadian
Wildlife Service observed a few gulls showing signs of botulism
on a nesting island. Mudpuppy remains have been found in gull digestive
tracts. Radiotelemetry studies support the possibility that gulls
could have made foraging flights greater than the distance between
these mudpuppy events and their nesting colony. Also in late June,
up to 3000 dead ring-billed gulls were reported in a colony of 10,000
birds in New York. Botulism type E toxin was detected via mouse
assay in gulls from this colony. Estimates ranging from 10 to the
100's of rock bass, small mouth bass, carp, suckers, perch, gobies,
catfish, bullheads, and sheepshead were observed dead along the
Lake Erie shore at locations in Pennsylvania and New York throughout
this time period. There was also one report of dead sheepshead in
the far western portion of Lake Erie, near Sandusky, Ohio. No cause
of mortality has been determined for the mudpuppy and fish kills,
some of which may be related to oxygen depleting conditions. Other
possible intoxications include microcystins and type E botulism.
Researchers, diagnosticians, biologists, and managers in Ontario,
New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio are maintaining frequent contact
regarding these mortalities.
California Brown Pelican Mortalities along the Southern California Coast
From mid-April until the end of June 2002, US Fish and Wildlife
Service biologists and wildlife rehabilitators reported mortality
of brown pelicans on the southern California coast. Personnel from
Wild Rescue in Malibu, California reported the recovery of 131 dead
and 32 live brown pelicans and small numbers of other fish-eating
seabirds along the coast from Santa Barbara to San Diego. This avian
mortality event coincided with significant mortality in seals, sea
otters and dolphins along the same stretch of coast. The suspected
etiologic agent for marine mammal and fish-eating bird mortalities
was domoic acid, a naturally occurring toxin produced by plankton
that is ingested and concentrated by small marine fish and crustaceans.
Four brown pelicans were submitted to the NWHC for diagnostic evaluation;
two pelicans had no significant gross pathological lesions and two
had fibrinous laryngitis and pulmonary hemorrhage or abscesses.
Samples from two pelicans sent to the NOAA National Ocean Services
Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina were positive for domoic
acid based on a receptor-binding assay. Receptor-binding assay results
for the remaining two birds and quantitative results for domoic
acid from liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry are pending.
Songbird Mortality in Utah.
Wildlife biologists from the US Fish and Wildlife Service and Division
of Wildlife Resources in Utah reported songbird mortality in May
and early June near bird feeders at several widely scattered suburban
and rural sites in eastern and southern Utah. NWHC received birds
from three mortality events involving pine siskins, Cassin's finches,
house finches, evening grosbeaks, and a yellow-breasted chat. Salmonellosis
was diagnosed in birds from two locations based on gross pathological
lesions and positive bacterial cultures. The specimens submitted
from the third event were not suitable for examination.
Famphur mortality in Idaho.
On January 30, 2001 the Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG)
was notified of a mass mortality of birds of mixed species along
Indian Creek in Caldwell, Idaho. Approximately 150 carcasses were
picked up initially including 80% mallards, 15% pintails, 5% widgeons,
8 - 10 pigeons, and 1 red-tailed hawk. Initial investigations performed
by the IDFG Wildlife Health Laboratory suggested the involvement
of an organophosphate or carbamate pesticide as a cause of death.
Subsequent testing by the University of Idaho Toxicology Laboratory
identified the presence of famphur (Warbex) in specimens. The famphur
poisoning resulted from an unintentional contamination of some grain.
Frozen carcasses were submitted to the National Wildlife Health
Center (NWHC) for diagnostic evaluation on February 21, 2002. All
birds evaluated (2 mallards, 1 pintail and 1 Red-tailed hawk) were
in good body condition. The ducks had large quantities of corn in
the upper GI tract, while the hawk had meat and black feathers in
the proventriculus. Brain cholinesterase activity levels for the
4 birds were depressed from 73% to 83% below normal levels with
no reversal after incubation suggesting the presence of an organophosphate
pesticide. Additional testing will be done on upper gastrointestinal
contents of birds submitted to NWHC.
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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