Image courtesy U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
National 07/14/13 spokesman.com: by Becky Kramer – The wolf’s skull told a painful story. Teeth were broken and missing; the jawbone infected. An injury – probably caused by a kick to the wolf’s face – had also festered. Despite poor health, the gray wolf kept his status as alpha male of the Rose Creek pack until he died, probably of septicemia, said Sue Ware, a paleopathologist who works for Denver’s Museum of Nature and Science. A week before his death, tourists in Yellowstone National Park videoed him “hanging off the rear quarters of an elk,” Ware said. It’s a remarkable story, said Ware, who studies the bones of Yellowstone’s wolves after they die. “Here’s an animal – the entire front part of his face is infected. How much pain was that?” she said. Yet the wolf still managed to clamp its teeth into a fleeing elk.
Dr. Sue Ware
Ware is about halfway through a 10-year study looking at Yellowstone wolves’ health histories and cause of death. Wildlife research often focuses on bigger picture issues, such as wolves’ impact on deer and elk populations, or landscape level changes since wolf reintroduction. Ware’s work, however, takes a more intimate look at the predators’ lives. Her research will help shed light on how disease and injury affect individual behavior, and ultimately, the pack.
Ware’s work underscores the risks that wolves take in pursuit of prey. Smashed skulls, missing teeth and broken ribs from elk and bison hooves are common injuries. One wolf skull had a healed-over bite wound from a cougar attack. “To be an alpha wolf, you either have to be successful in avoiding disease or injury, or have the fortitude to suffer through,” said Jim Halfpenny, a carnivore ecologist from Gardiner, Mont., and a collaborator in Ware’s research. “We find a lot of bite wounds in the muzzle from pack disciplinary action,” he said. The research is part of the Yellowstone Wolf Recovery Program through the National Park Service. – For complete article see http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2013/jul/14/experts-study-wolf-skeletons-for-clues-into/
Coyote:
New Jersey 07/16/13 nj.com: A Scotch Plains resident reported being stalked by a very large coyote while walking with his pet on Greensview Drive on the Ash Brook Golf Course. – See http://www.nj.com/union/index.ssf/2013/07/coyote_spotted_roaming_through_scotch_plains.html
Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) & West Nile Virus (WNV):
California 07/17/13 San Bernadino County: A dead gray tree squirrel found near the Big Bear Mountain Golf Course in Big Bear Lake on July 9th has tested positive for WNV. Mosquitoes collected from Ontario and Montclair earlier in July also tested positive for the virus. – See https://www.google.com/search?q=big+bear+mountain+golf+course&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a
California 07/17/13 Tulare County: Mosquitoes trapped in southeast Visalia just east of Mooney Boulevard and north of Caldwell Avenue have tested positive for WNV. – See http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/article/20130717/NEWS01/307170021/West-Nile-Virus-found-mosquitoes-Visalia?nclick_check=1
Louisiana 07/17/13 Livingston Parish: Officials are calling for horse owners to have their animals vaccinated for EEE and WNV after a horse in the parish tested positive for both. The 2-year-old horse had to be euthanized. – See http://theadvocate.com/home/6539074-125/livingston-horse-infected-with-west
South Carolina 07/17/13 Horry County: A Myrtle Beach veterinarian says so far this year she has had to euthanize four horses with EEE and she’s closely watching another. – See http://www.carolinalive.com/news/story.aspx?id=922741#.UedUhW3DK5d
Rabies:
Arkansas 07/16/13 Boone County: A domestic cat that had been in a fight with an unidentified animal in June has tested positive for rabies. This is the 100th case of rabies in the state so far this year including 91 skunks, 3 bats, 2 cats, 2 dogs, 1 cow and 1 horse. – See http://www.thv11.com/news/article/272100/2/Cat-is-100th-rabies-case-in-Arkansas-for-2013
Georgia 07/17/13 Hall County: Officials have issued a Rabies Alert after a rabid raccoon fought with a dog in the Cochran Road area. This is the seventh confirmed case of animal rabies in the county so far this year. – See http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/section/6/article/86206/
New Jersey 07/16/13 Middlesex County: A bat found on Coriander Drive off Promenade Boulevard in South Brunswick on July 10th has tested positive for rabies. – See http://ns.gmnews.com/news/2013-07-18/Front_Page/Rabid_bat_found_off_Promenade_Boulevard.html
New Jersey 07/16/13 Middlesex County: A bat found inside a home in the vicinity of Carson and Woodbridge avenues in Metuchen has tested positive for rabies. – See http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20130716/NJNEWS/307160031/Rabid-bat-found-Metuchen
North Carolina 07/16/13 Guilford County: A skunk that authorities believe had rabies was euthanized this week after it attacked and bit a vaccinated dog in the vicinity of 7 Owls Roost Ct. in Greensboro. – See http://www.news-record.com/news/article_5eab19e8-ee2b-11e2-8e5d-001a4bcf6878.html
North Carolina 07/16/13 Cumberland County: Two raccoons tested positive for rabies this week bringing the total cases of animal rabies in the county to nine so far this year. In the most recent cases, one was found Saturday fighting with three dogs in the vicinity of Cedar Creek Road and N.C. 210 in Fayetteville. The other was found Monday on Butler Nursery Road in Gray’s Creek where it was shot while fighting with a cat that ran away. – See http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2013/07/16/1270034?sac=fo.local
South Carolina 07/16/13 Charleston County: A 19-year-old woman is being treated for potential exposure to rabies after being bitten by a dog at her home on Highway 165 in Ravenel. According to an incident report, the dog later bit another person and was shot. – See http://www.wistv.com/story/22856826/woman-undergoing-treatment-after-bit-by-possible-rabid-dog
Canada:
Ontario 07/16/13 Grey Bruce Health Unit: The owner of a dog that bit a boy at MacGregor Point Provincial Park could save the youth from enduring post exposure rabies treatment. The Grey Bruce Health Unit is asking for help in locating the man who was walking two huskies along the trails in the park. As a father and son rode by on their bikes on Sunday morning, the boy was bitten. The health unit just needs to confirm that the dog is not infectious with rabies. If you have information, call 519-376-9420. – See http://blackburnnews.com/midwestern-ontario/midwestern-ontario-news/2013/07/16/officials-seek-dog-after-biting-incident-at-macgregor-point/