Digital Commons Network^™

In Situ Evaluation Of An Automated Aerial Bait Delivery System For Landscape-Scale Control Of Invasive Brown Treesnakes On Guam, Shane Siers, Will Pitt, John Eisemann, Larry Clark, Aaron B. Shiels, C. S. Clark, R. J. Gosnell, M. C. Messaros

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

After decades of biodiversity loss and economic burden caused by the brown treesnake invasion on the Pacific island of Guam, relief hovers on the horizon. Previous work by USDA Wildlife Services (WS) and its National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) demonstrated that brown treesnake numbers in forested habitats can be dramatically suppressed by aerial delivery of dead newborn mouse (DNM) baits treated with 80 mg of acetaminophen. However, manual bait preparation and application is impractical for landscape-scale treatment. WS, NWRC, and the US Department of the Interior have collaborated with Applied Design Corporation to engineer an automated bait manufacturing and delivery …

Persistence And Conspecific Observations Improve Problem-Solving Abilities Of Coyotes, Julie K. Young, Laura Touzot, Stacey P. Brummer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Social learning has important ecological and evolutionary consequences but the role of certain factors, such as social rank, neophobia (i.e., avoidance of novel stimuli), persistence, and task-reward association, remain less understood. We examined the role of these factors in social learning by captive coyotes (Canis latrans) via three studies. Study 1 involved individual animals and eliminated object neophobia by familiarizing the subjects to the testing apparatus prior to testing. Studies 2 and 3 used mated pairs to assess social rank, and included object neophobia, but differed in that study 3 decoupled the food reward from the testing apparatus (i.e., altered …

Experimental Infections Of Norway Rats With Avian‑Derived Low‑Pathogenic Influenza A Viruses, Kaci K. Vandalen, Nicole M. Nemeth, Nicholas O. Thomas, Nicole L. Barrett, Jeremy W. Ellis, Heather J. Sullivan, Alan B. Franklin, Susan A. Shriner

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Influenza A viruses (IAVs) are a public-health, veterinary, and agricultural concern. Although wild birds are considered the primary reservoir hosts for most IAVs, wild-bird IAV strains are known to spill over into poultry, domestic or wild mammals, and humans. Occasionally, spillover events may result in adaptation or reassortment with other strains. Moreover, some IAV strains found in wild waterfowl mutate into highly pathogenic forms in poultry, causing tremendous economic losses. When domestic animals, wildlife, and humans dwell in close proximity to each other, such as may be the case with agricultural operations, wildlife may represent a potential risk for interspecies …

Movement Responses Inform Effectiveness And Consequences Of Baiting Wild Pigs For Population Control, Nathan P. Snow, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) damage agricultural and natural resources throughout their nearly global distribution. Subsequently, population control activities (e.g., trapping, shooting, or toxic baiting) frequently involve the deployment of bait to attract wild pigs. A better understanding of how wild pigs respond to bait sites can help maximize efficiency of baiting programs and identify any potential pitfalls. We examined the movement behaviors of 68 wild pigs during three stages of intensive baiting programs (i.e., 15 days each: prior, during, and post baiting) spread across two distinct study areas in southern and northern Texas, USA. We found that bait sites needed …

Raccoon (Procyon Lotor) Response To Ontario Rabies Vaccine Baits (Onrab) In St. Lawrence County, New York, Usa, Kerri Pedersen, Amy T. Gilbert, Kathleen M. Nelson, Daniel P. Morgan, Amy J. Davis, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Dennis Slate, Richard B. Chipman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Oral rabies vaccination (ORV) campaigns have been conducted annually in the US over the past two decades to prevent raccoon (Procyon lotor) rabies, which is enzootic along the eastern region of the country from southeastern Canada to Alabama. Because raccoon rabies has been eliminated from neighboring Canadian provinces, continued detection of the variant in the US is of concern due to the potential for infected raccoons to cross the border via the St. Lawrence River. Ontario Rabies Vaccine Baits (ONRAB) containing a live, recombinant human adenovirus expressing the rabies virus glycoprotein have been under experimental use in the …

Taking The Bait: Species Taking Oral Rabies Vaccine Baits Intended For Raccoons, Betsy S. Haley, Are R. Berentsen, Richard M. Engeman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Raccoon rabies in eastern USA is managed by strategically distributing oral rabies vaccine (ORV) baits. The attractiveness, palativity, density, and non-target species bait take affect ORV effectiveness. We examined raccoon and non-target species differences in investigating/removing fish-meal polymer and coated sachet baits applied to simulate two aerial bait distribution densities. Bait densities of 150 baits/km² and 75 baits/km² were evaluated, respectively, in zones expected to have high and low raccoon densities. Three primary non-target species visited baits: coyotes, white-tailed deer, and feral swine. The proportion of bait stations visited by raccoons during 1 week observation periods ranged from …

Potential Role Of Wildlife In The Usa In The Event Of A Foot-And-Mouth Disease Virus Incursion, Vienna R. Brown, Sarah N. Bevins

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is caused by foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) which affects domestic and wild cloven-hoofed species. The FMD-free status of the USA and the tremendous economic impact of a virus incursion motivated the development of this evaluation of the potential role of wildlife in the event of a virus introduction. Additionally, this manuscript contains a summary of US vulnerabilities for viral incursion and persistence which focuses specifically on the possible role of wildlife. The legal movement of susceptible live animals, animal products, by-products and animal feed containing animal products pose a risk of virus introduction and spread. Additionally, the …

Trail Cameras Are A Key Monitoring Tool For Determining Target And Non-Target Bait-Take During Rodent Removal Operations: Evidence From Desecheo Island Rat Eradication, Aaron B. Shiels, D. Will, C. Figuerola-Hernández, K.J. Swinnerton, S. Silander, C. Samra, G.W. Witmer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Efforts to remove invasive rodents (e.g. Rattus spp. and Mus musculus) from islands often use toxicant-laced baits containing the anticoagulants brodifacoum or diphacinone. Rodenticide baits are generally delivered through aerialor hand-broadcast, or in bait stations. These baits are not rodent-specific and are subject to non-target consumption or secondary exposure (e.g. an individual preying upon another individual that has consumed bait). During rodenticide applications, it is generally unknown which animals are visiting and consuming bait; and to quantify this, we recommend using trail cameras (e.g. Reconyx^tm motion-activated infra-red) positioned to monitor individual bait pellets. To demonstrate the importance and effectiveness …

Black Bear Use Of Forest Roads In Western Washington, Gary W. Witmer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Radiolocations (108) of 20 black bears were used to assess use or avoidance of 3 forest road types in western Washington. Distances of bears to each type of road were compared to distances of 108 random points using t-tests. Females and males avoided 2-lane roads, while only males avoided 1-lane roads, the most common road type in the area. Females, but not males, were located closer to overgrown, spur roads than expected. This road type has substantial cover of grasses, forbs, and berry-producing shrubs along with protective tree cover. This situation may provide easy travel for females along with security …

Home Range And Habitat Use Of West Virginia Canis Latrans (Coyote), Lauren M. Mastro, Dana J. Morin, Eric M. Gese

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Canis latrans (Coyote) has undergone a range expansion in the United States over the last century. As a highly opportunistic species, its home range and habitat use changes with ecological context. Coyotes were first reported in West Virginia in 1950 but were not commonly observed until the 1990s, and there is scant information on Coyotes in the region. We used telemetry data from 8 radiocollared Coyotes in West Virginia to estimate home-range size and third-order habitat selection. Home-range areas (95% utilization distributions; UDs) varied from 5.22 to 27.79 km2 (mean = 12.48 ± 2.61 km2), with highly concentrated use of …

The Role Of Scavenging In Disease Dynamics, Joaquín Vicente, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Contents

Introduction................ 161

The Use of Animal Remains and the Exposure of Scavengers to Disease........ 163

The Relevance of Scavenging for Pathogens to Spread and Persist.......... 166

Human Related Factors Resulting in Increased Risk for Disease Transmission Through Scavenging.............. 170

Management of Scavenging to Reduce Disease Risks.............. 173

Restoration of Large Predators.................. 174

Elimination of Hunting of Scavengers............ 174

Destruction of Big Game and Domestic Animal Carcasses........... 174

Restoration of the Effects of Overabundance............. 175

Excluding Mammalian and Avian Scavengers from Natural Carrions.......... 176

Excluding Mammalian and Avian Scavengers from Vulture Restaurants........... 176

Conclusions and Future Perspectives........... 178

References............... 178

Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles For Bird Harassment On Fish Ponds, Ciera A. Rhoades, Peter J. Allen, D. Tommy King

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The effects of aquaculture decline on piscivorous birds in the Mississippi Delta concern catfish farmers, with possible increases in fish loss and disease transmission. Piscivorous birds quickly habituate to most current methods of harassment (loud noises and visual disturbances) leading to increased depredation and disease. Our study was designed to test the efficacy of using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to effectively control piscivorous birds at fish farms. We hypothesized that a UAV would be more efficient at reducing the number of fish-eating birds on fish ponds than current forms of harassment. We conducted pre-treatment bird surveys, harassment observations, and post-treatment …

Locally Fixed Alleles: A Method To Localize Gene Drive To Island Populations, Jaye Sudweeks, Brandon Hollingsworth, Dimitri V. Blondel, Karl J. Campbell, Sumit Dhole, John D. Eisemann, Owain Edwards, John Godwin, Gregg R. Howald, Kevin P. Oh, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Thomas A.A. Prowse, Joshua V. Ross, J. Royden Saah, Aaron B. Shiels, Paul Q. Thomas, David W. Threadgill, Michael R. Vella, Fred Gould, Alun L. Lloyd

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive species pose a major threat to biodiversity on islands. While successes have been achieved using traditional removal methods, such as toxicants aimed at rodents, these approaches have limitations and various off-target effects on island ecosystems. Gene drive technologies designed to eliminate a population provide an alternative approach, but the potential for drive-bearing individuals to escape from the target release area and impact populations elsewhere is a major concern. Here we propose the “Locally Fixed Alleles” approach as a novel means for localizing elimination by a drive to an island population that exhibits significant genetic isolation from neighboring populations. Our …

A California Without Rodenticides: Challenges For Commensal Rodent Management In The Future, Niamh Quinn, Sylvia Kenmuir, Laura Krueger

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Rodenticides are an essential tool in the integrated pest management of infestations of commensal rodents (Rattus norvegicus, R. rattus, and Mus musculus). With the introduction of Assembly Bill 1788, the California Ecosystems Protection Act of 2019, California is potentially facing a future with new restrictions on the use of anticoagulant rodenticides to manage commensal rodents in urban areas. Assembly Bill 1788 has been proposed specifically to protect predators from anticoagulant rodenticide poisoning and seeks to restrict the application of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) for use in many urban and non-urban areas of California, USA. Exclusion and cultural …

A Review Of Rat Lungworm Infection And Recent Data On Its Definitive Hosts In Hawaii, Chris N. Niebuhr, Susan I. Jarvi, Shane R. Siers

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Rat lungworm (Angiostrongylus cantonensis) is a zoonotic nematode that causes rat lungworm disease (angiostrongyliasis), a potentially debilitating form of meningitis, in humans worldwide. The definitive hosts for rat lungworm are primarily members of the genus Rattus, with gastropods as intermediate hosts. This parasite has emerged as an important public health concern in the United States, especially in Hawaii, where the number of human cases has increased in the last decade. Here we discuss the current knowledge of the rat lungworm, including information on the life cycle and host species, as well as updates on known infection levels. Three …

Harnessing Population Genetics For Pest Management: Theory And Application For Urban Rats, Matthew Combs, Kaylee Byers, Chelsea Himsworth, Jason Munshi-South

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Effective management of rodent pests requires an ecological understanding of how they move through their environment and how those movements influence the invasion, persistence, or reinvasion of problematic colonies. Traditional methodologies used to describe rodent movement patterns, such as mark-recapture, are hindered by their time-consuming nature and limited geographic scope. As such, our understanding of how rodents interact with urban environments remains limited. Population genetic principles and tools have the capacity to greatly increase our understanding of rodent population dynamics, ecological relationships, and movements across space, but this field is often unapproachable to non-scientist pest management professionals (PMPs). In this …

Numbers Of Human Fatalities, Injuries, And Illnesses In The United States Due To Wildlife, Michael R. Conover

Human–Wildlife Interactions

I reviewed published and unpublished papers, government reports, and websites to estimate how many people are injured or killed each year by wildlife or stricken by a zoonotic disease. Over 47,000 people annually in the United States sought medical attention after being attacked or bitten by wildlife, and approximately 8 people died annually. Most bites were by snakes, birds, rodents, and raccoons (Procyon lotor). Each year, wildlife–vehicle collisions resulted in >59,000 human injuries and >440 human fatalities, while wildlife–aircraft collisions added 16 more injuries and 10 fatalities. I also found that >68,000 people each year sought medical …

Evaluation Of The Attitudes Of Veterinary Students Towards Cancer In Animals Using A Cancer Attitude Scale For Animals, İbrahi̇m Kiliç, İbrahi̇m Demi̇rkan, Aysun Çevi̇k Demi̇rkan, Si̇nan Saraçli

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The aim of this descriptive study was to examine the attitudes of veterinary undergraduate students towards cancer in animals with cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions by a new cancer attitude scale for animals approach. Questionnaires, as data collection tools, were applied to 205 students training to be veterinary surgeons at Afyon Kocatepe University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, who were selected by systematic random sampling method. Validity-reliability analysis and t-test as well as ANOVA were used in addition to descriptive statistics for the data analysis. The students? general attitudes to cancer were (X = 3.65) greater than the midscore, 3, according …

The Coexistence Of Heart Murmurs And Arrhythmias In An Equine Hospital Population ? A Retrospective Study, Ali̇ Cesur Onmaz, Vehbi̇ Güneş, Alexandra Pavaloiu, René Van Den Hoven

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

This study was performed to characterize the coexistence of valvar insufficiencies of the mitral, tricuspid, aortic, and pulmonary valves and their possible association with atrial fibrillation in an equine clinic population. During an 11-year period, 348 horses had been examined for cardiac arrhythmias and suspected defects of the cardiac valves at the Vetmeduni Vienna, Austria. The study population included 256 male and 92 female horses. A subpopulation of 197 (57%) horses was identified with at least one valvular disorder. In these horses, mitral valve regurgitation (MR) was reported in 124 animals (63%), aortic valve regurgitation (AR) in 101 (51%), tricuspid …

A Case Of Ex Vivo Boosted Immune Cell Therapy For Chronic Ulcerative Dermatitis In A Dog, Seulgi Bae

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

A 13-year-old castrated male Shih Tzu was presented with recurrent otitis externa and ulcerative dermatitis. Previous investigations had failed to identify the cause, and the lesion was resistant to treatment. According to the histopathological examination, a tentative diagnosis of chronic ulcerative dermatitis with bacterial infection was made. To treat the patient, immune cell therapy with antibiotics was conducted every 2 weeks, for a total of six sessions. After treatment, the skin lesion resolved. No side effects were observed during therapy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report of the use of immune cell therapy for …

Influence Of Rearing Conditions And Birth Season On Calf Welfare In The First Month Of Life, Ljiljana Samolovac, Slavca Hristov, Branislav Stankovic, Radojka Maletic, Renata Relic, Zvonko Zlatanovic

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The aim of this study was to analyze the influence of farm conditions and season of birth on body mass, respiratory system diseases and diarrhea occurrence, and mortality during the first month of calves? life. The study was conducted on two tie-stall-system farms with intensive milk production and similar nutrition of dairy cows, but with differences in rearing conditions of calves in the first week of life. The calves were tied on lying area with straw as bedding material (farm A) or free in individual boxes with straw bedding (farm B). In the first consumption, they take 1-2 L of …

Negative Effects Of Occurrence Of Clinical Mastitis From Calving To End Of The Voluntary Waiting Period On Reproduction In Holstein Cows, Seçki̇n Salar, Oğuz Çalişici, Duygu Çalişici, Doğukan Özen, Ayhan Baştan

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The objective was to evaluate the effects of clinical mastitis (CM) on reproductive performance in high-milk?producing cows before the service period. The data of Holstein Friesian cows (n = 550) in a commercial farm was retrospectively evaluated. The diagnosis of CM was made by the presence of visible abnormalities in milk or symptoms of inflammation of one or more of the quarters. Cows were checked to detect CM prior to each milking. Calving to first service interval (CFSI), calving to conception interval (CCI), and services per conception (SC) were evaluated as reproductive parameters. Calving to first service interval (83.68 ± …

Formation Of Local Protection Of The Respiratory Tract In Holstein Calves, Yuriy Alekhin, Maksim Zhukov, Valentina Morgunova, Galina Chusova, Irina Klementeva

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The processes of formation of the local protection of the respiratory tract in nasal secretion samples of Holstein calves from birth to 6 months of age that were born from clinically healthy cows were examined. Only clinically healthy animals were involved in the experiment. Nasal secretion samples were collected with the help of a sterile foam tampon with a fixing thread in order to assess local immunity in animals at the age of 1, 5, 10, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 days. Total protein, mucin, lysozyme activity, and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were determined using commercially available methods. The …

The Effect Of Feed Manufacture Techniques On Pathogen Reduction And Feed Nutrient Value, Timothy Paul Boltz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Experiments were conducted to evaluate how differing feed manufacture techniques, such as varying conditioning times and new equipment, can affect pathogen mitigation, feed manufacture metrics, amino acid digestibility, and enzyme recovery in feed. Feed hygienics are of increasing importance in providing safe feed to animals, and ultimately safe food for consumers. Salmonella has been identified as a major microbial hazard in animal feed that has been linked to animal and human illness. In chapter 2, the effects of standard pelleting and more thermally aggressive techniques were utilized to determine pathogen mitigation potential. Use of antibiotics has decreased in recent years …

All Aspects Of The Toxic Effects Of Lipopolysaccharide On Rat Liver And The Protective Effect Of Vitamin E And Sodium Selenite, Di̇lek Pandir, Sedat Per, Züleyha Doğanyi̇ği̇t, Fati̇h Oğuz Bekdemi̇r, Gülşi̇fe Gök, Ali̇ Demi̇rbağ

Turkish Journal of Zoology

This work was planned to research the effects of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and/or vitamin E (VE) and sodium selenite (SS), which have antioxidant properties, administered to the liver tissue of male rats. For this purpose, histopathology, immunohistochemistry, antioxidant capacity, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) dUTP nick-end labeling assay, liver function, and DNA structure tests were performed. The lipid profile was also evaluated in this study. Rats that were administered LPS were treated with VE and/or SS. The liver function tests and lipid profile parameters showed statistically significant changes and histological alterations in the LPS treated groups. The number of cells entering apoptosis …

Movement And Home Range Of Cinereous Vulture Aegypius Monachus During The Wintering And Summering Periods In East Asia, Jung-Hoon Kang, Bo-Ra Hyun, In Kyu Kim, Hansoo Lee, Jae-Kang Lee, Hyun-Su Hwang, Tae-Kyung Eom, Shin Jae Rhim

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The present study was conducted to elucidate the movement and home range of 7 subadult cinereous vultures Aegypius monachus during the wintering and summering periods using a telemetry system from January 2015 to March 2017 in East Asia. In total, 7053 locations (180?1607 points per bird) were used to analyze the home range size and movement distance of the birds during the wintering, migration, and summering periods. The tracked birds overwintered in South Korea. They migrated between South Korea and Mongolia during spring and autumn, respectively. Their movement and home range size varied considerably throughout the annual cycle between the …

Serodiagnostic Potential Of Brucella Outer Membrane And Periplasmic Proteins, Aitbay Bulashev, Orken Akibekov, Zhanbolat Suranshiyev, Bakytkali Ingirbay, Saule Eskendirova

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The aim of this study was to evaluate the serological diagnostic potential of the Brucella recombinant outer membrane (rOMP25, rOMP31) and periplasmic proteins (rBP26, rSOD) in a comparative way using an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (i-ELISA). Rabbit and/or mouse antibodies to Brucella whole cell and/or soluble protein preparations recognized all recombinant proteins used, which confirms the expression of target antigens in E. coli in active form. The recombinant proteins showed different antigenicity to antibodies of cattle kept on a brucellosis-affected (endemic) farm and/or a new focus of infection. Thus, the presence of anti-Brucella antibodies was confirmed by i-ELISA/rSOD in 79% …

Molecular Detection Of Anaplasma Spp. In Blood And Milk Of Dairy Cattle In The Philippines, Angelito Pangan Dela Cruz, Remil Linggatong Galay, Kristina Andrea Claveria Sandalo, Flor Marie Immanuelle Rafallo Pilapil-Amante, Tetsuya Tanaka

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Anaplasmosis has become a major concern in the cattle industry throughout the world due to its great economic impact. The causative agents, Anaplasmaspecies, are primarily transmitted by ticks, occurring intracellularly within blood cells, with some species being zoonotic. In this study, the presence of Anaplasma spp. was investigated in the blood and milk of dairy cattle in the Philippines. Blood and milk samples were collected from 98 dairy cattle from selected farms in five provinces in the southern part of Luzon Island in the Philippines. After DNA extraction, a conventional PCR for the control gene actin was performed, followed by …

Population Health Of Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma Maculatum) In Created Vernal Pools: An Integrative Approach, Alice R. Millikin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Habitat creation is an important tool for conservation to counteract habitat loss and degradation. Vernal pools are susceptible to destruction due to limited detection, protection, and regulation. These wetlands provide fishless breeding habitat for many amphibian species including spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) in eastern North America. Determining whether created vernal pool habitat is successful is often determined by demographic data of colonizing populations. I suggest that hormone levels, population genetics, and disease prevalence can improve our understanding of population health in created habitat. The goal of this dissertation was to assess the health of spotted salamander larvae in …

Characterization Of Ovine Monocytes In Response To Haemonchus Contortus Larvae In Vitro And A Novel Role Of Interleukin-13 Inducing Larval Paralysis, Elizabeth Shepherd

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Haemonchus contortus is a hematophagous, gastrointestinal parasite affecting small ruminants. Parasitism by H. contortus is the greatest concern of sheep producers in the United States and accounts for billions of dollars in economic loss worldwide. However, different breeds of sheep display differences n natural resistance to H. contortus. St. Croix hair sheep have a remarkable ability to clear H. contortus without the aid of anthelmintics and develop a robust T helper type 2 (Th2) immune response, preventing establishment of infective stage 3 larvae (L3), when compared to susceptible Suffolk sheep. However, the mechanism of development of immune response and …