A mysterious neurological disease is afflicting endangered Florida panthers
A disease known as feline leukomyelopathy has likely stricken 48 panthers and bobcats, leading to concerns about the impact on Florida’s state animal.
A Florida panther kitten born to a mother with feline leukomyelopathy (FLM), a newly discovered neurological disorder, is examined at Zoo Tampa by veterinarian Lauren Smith. This kitten and its sibling were deemed healthy but the mother didn’t recover from the disease.
ByDouglas Main
Email
Once ranging throughout the U.S. Southeast, Florida panthers nearly went extinct due to widespread hunting. By the 1970s there were fewer than 30 left. Though the endangered cats have rebounded significantly in the last couple decades, with a total population around 200, their future remains tenuous.
Survey finds 82% of dead eagles with rat poison in their systems
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New research suggests rat poison exposure is common among North America s eagle populations. Photo by skeeze/Pixabay
April 7 (UPI) Scientists found rat poison in the systems of 82% of the few hundred dead eagles examined for a multiyear survey between 2014 and 2018.
The survey results, published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One, are a reminder of the lurking threats that face even the most well-protected animals.
Advertisement Generally, bald eagle populations have been thriving in the United States. This is great news and a conservation success story, corresponding author Mark Ruder told UPI in an email.
Backyard Chickens Risk Pathogen Spread
Keeping backyard chickens was already on the rise, and the hobby has become even more popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, a University of Georgia researcher cautions that the practice has risks not just for chickens, but for wildlife and people as well.
“As a researcher who studies pathogen movement along different groups, I see backyard chickens as a potential interface where pathogens can spill over into wild birds, or vice versa, and even into people,” said Sonia Hernandez, professor of wildlife disease at the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and the College of Veterinary Medicine. “Owners need to seek information and medical care for their animals to minimize those risks.”
Backyard chickens risk pathogen spread
March 2, 2021
Chickens roam a backyard in Athens. (Photo by Chad Osborn/UGA)
Keeping backyard chickens was already on the rise, and the hobby has become even more popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, a University of Georgia researcher cautions that the practice has risks not just for chickens, but for wildlife and people as well.
“As a researcher who studies pathogen movement along different groups, I see backyard chickens as a potential interface where pathogens can spill over into wild birds, or vice versa, and even into people,” said Sonia Hernandez, professor of wildlife disease at the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and the College of Veterinary Medicine. “Owners need to seek information and medical care for their animals to minimize those risks.”