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Immunocontraception To Control Rabies In Dog Populations, Giovanna Massei, Lowell A. Miller, Gary Killian

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The current world dog (Canis lupus familiaris) population is estimated to be around 500 million (MacPherson et al. 2000). About 75% of these animals, which often are referred to as stray or feral, are free to roam and reproduce and may have a negative impact on human activities (World Society for the Protection of Animals 2010). Problems caused by freeroaming dogs include zoonoses, predation on livestock, attacks on humans, and road traffic accidents (MacPherson et al. 2000). Among the 55,000 human deaths that occur each year from zoonoses, dogs are responsible for >90%. In addition, >14 million people …

Refinement Of Biomarker Pentosidine Methodology For Use On Aging Birds, Crissa K. Cooey, Jesse A. Fallon, Michael L. Avery, James T. Anderson, Elizabeth A. Falkenstein, Hillar Klandorf

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

There is no reliable method for determining age for most species of long-lived birds. Recent success using the skin chemical pentosidine as a biomarker has shown promise as an aging tool for birds. Pentosidine levels have been determined only from the breast tissue of carcasses, and we sought to refine the procedure with respect to biopsy size and location for safe and effective use on living birds. We compared pentosidine concentrations in 4 skin-size samples (4, 6, 8, and 20-mm diameter biopsies) from the breast of black vulture (Coragyps atratus) carcasses. We also compared pentosidine levels from breast …

Evaluation Of Rhodamine B As A Biomarker For Raccoons, Tricia L. Fry, Todd C. Atwood, Mike R. Dunbar

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The USDA/APHIS/Wildlife Services (WS) oral rabies vaccination program uses tetracycline, a broad-spectrum antibiotic and relatively reliable biomarker, to quantify vaccinebait uptake by raccoons (Procyon lotor). However, obtaining samples (e.g., bone or teeth) to assess tetracycline uptake is highly invasive, and sample preparation can be expensive. By contrast, rhodamine B, a commercially available dye, is absorbed systemically in growing tissues, including hair and whiskers, and can be observed under ultraviolet (UV) light as fluorescent orange bands. Our goal was to evaluate whether rhodamine B can be used as a biomarker to monitor bait uptake by raccoons. We began by …

Body Lice, Yersinia Pestis Orientalis, And Black Death, Mark Welford, Brian Bossak, Robert G. Mclean, Michael W. Fall, Michel Drancourt, Didier Raoult

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Letters exchanged on role of Y. pestis in European plague Black Death.

Our colleague and mentor David E. Davis researched and wrote in his retirement after years of research and reflection on rat ecology and rodent-borne diseases (3,4). Rattus rattus is commonly recognized as the vertebrate host of fl ea-borne plague that swept through Europe in the 1300s, killing >50% of the population. Davis believed this explanation did not fit what he knew of the ecologic requirements of fleas and black rats. He studied reports of archeologic excavations and reviewed poems, medieval bestiaries, and paintings and concluded that these rats …

Shedding And Serologic Responses Following Primary And Secondary Inoculation Of House Sparrows (Passer Domesticus) And European Starlings (Sturnus Vulgaris) With Low-Pathogenicity Avian Influenza Virus, Nicole M. Nemeth, Nicholas O. Thomas, Darcy S. Orahood, Theodore D. Anderson, Paul T. Oesterle

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Waterfowl and shorebirds are well-recognized natural reservoirs of low-pathogenicity avian influenza viruses (LPAIV); however, little is known about the role of passerines in avian influenza virus ecology. Passerines are abundant, widespread, and commonly come into contact with free-ranging birds as well as captive game birds and poultry. We inoculated and subsequently challenged house sparrows (Passer domesticus) and European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) with wild-bird origin LPAIV H3N8 to evaluate their potential role in transmission. Oropharyngeal shedding was short lived, and was detected in more starlings (97.2%) than sparrows (47.2%; n = 36 of each). Cloacal shedding was …

Shedding Light On Avian Influenza H4n6 Infection In Mallards: Modes Of Transmission And Implications For Surveillance, Kaci K. Vandalen, Alan B. Franklin, Nicole L. Mooers, Heather J. Sullivan, Susan A. Shriner

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background: Wild mallards (Anas platyrhychos) are considered one of the primary reservoir species for avian influenza viruses (AIV). Because AIV circulating in wild birds pose an indirect threat to agriculture and human health, understanding the ecology of AIV and developing risk assessments and surveillance systems for prevention of disease is critical.

Methodology/Principal Findings: In this study, mallards were experimentally infected with an H4N6 subtype of AIV by oral inoculation or contact with an H4N6 contaminated water source. Cloacal swabs, oropharyngeal swabs, fecal samples, and water samples were collected daily and tested by real-time RT-PCR (RRT-PCR) for …

Reducing The Risk Of Human Exposure To Wildlife Diseases, Tyler A. Campbell

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

As a professional biologist working for a government agency, I am required to carry a card alerting medical personnel that I may have been exposed to certain zoonotic diseases (animal diseases that can infect man) not routinely considered in differential diagnosis. Some of these pathogens are obscure and seldom heard of, such as monkeypox and Q fever; others more commonly make headlines, such as influenza, West Nile virus, Lyme disease, and Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome. Hunters, ranchers, and biologists who work with wildlife have an increased risk of acquiring these diseases directly from animal hosts or their parasites. Here are some …

On A Quest For Safer Skies: Managing The Growing Threat Of Wildlife Hazards To Aviation, Gail Keirn, Jonathon D. Cepek, Bradley Blackwell, Travis L. Devaul

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The images remain indelible: On a chilly January day in 2009, a United States Airways Airbus A320 departed from New York’s LaGuardia Airport. About five miles out, flying at 2,000 feet, it collided with a flock of Canada geese (Branta canadensis), severely damaging the plane’s engines. Within minutes of the collision the pilot safely conducted an emergency landing on the Hudson River. All 155 passengers survived.

Increased Abundance And First Breeding Record Of The Neotropic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax Brasilianus) On The Alluvial Plain Of Mississippi, Katie C. Hanson, Travis L. Devault, Stephen J. Dinsmore

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Phalacrocorax brasilianus (Neotropic Cormorant) has been observed with increasing frequency in the alluvial plain (Delta region) of Mississippi. In the past 6 years, 22 individuals have been observed in 20 separate sightings during spring and summer. These sightings have occurred at breeding colonies of other colonial waterbirds and commercial aquaculture facilities of Ictalurus punctatus (Channel Catfish). Two sexually mature Neotropic Cormorants have been collected at a colonial waterbird breeding colony near the Mississippi River in the western Delta region among flocks of Phalacrocorax auritus (Double-crested Cormorants). Twice during the summer of 2008, confirmed nesting of Neotropic Cormorants were documented in …

Immunocontraception In Male Feral Swine Treated With A Recombinant Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Vaccine, Tyler A. Campbell, Michelle R. Garcia, Lowell A. Miller, Martha A. Ramirez, David B. Long, Jean-Baptiste Marchand, Fergal Hill

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Objective: To determine if a recombinant gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) vaccine is a potential immunocontraceptive agent for juvenile male feral swine.

Results: As expected, a single dose of GonaCon vaccine reduced testes mass, serum testosterone, and percent normal tubules, and restricted sperm development at each stage. These reductions in reproductive development were associated with elevated GnRH antibodies. The single injection of rGnRH was not as effective in reducing these reproductive parameters; however, the two-dose injection of rGnRH was as effective as the single injection of GonaCon.

A Review Of Existing And Potential New World And Australasian Vertebrate Pesticides With A Rationale For Linking Use Patterns To Registration Requirements, Charles T. Eason, Kathleen A. Fagerstone, John D. Eisemann, Simon Humphrys, Jeanette R. O’Hare, Steven J. Lapidge

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Registration is a necessarily sophisticated evaluation process applied to vertebrate pesticide products. Although conducted to minimize any potential impacts upon public health, the environment and food production, the all-encompassing process of registration can stifle innovation. Vertebrate pesticides are rarely used to control pest animals in food crops. In contrast to agrochemicals, relatively small amounts of vertebrate pesticides are used (50.1%), usually in solid or paste baits, and generally by discrete application methods rather than by broad-scale spray applications. We present a hierarchy or sliding scale of typical data requirements relative to application techniques, to help clarify an evolving science-based approach …

Lactating North American Beavers (Castor Canadensis) Sharing Dens In The Southwestern United States, Justin W. Fischer, Roger E. Joos, Melissa A. Neubaum, Jimmy D. Taylor Ii, David L. Bergman, Dale L. Nolte, Antoinette J. Piaggio

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

During a radio-tracking study of North American beavers (Castor canadensis) in Arizona, we discovered three adult, lactating beavers using the same bank den at the same time. Two adult females 5.2 kmdownstreamalso were using the same den at the same time. For the first case, we documented use of communal dens by lactating adults on seven occasions during 68 days. For the second case, we documented communaluseof adenonthreeoccasionsduring 45days.Totest the hypothesis that these communal females were closely related,weusedeight autosomalDNAmicrosatellites.Two females in thefirstdenwere first-order relatives. However, the other communal females were unrelated to the females with which they shared …

Avian Piscivores As Vectors For Myxobolus Cerebralis In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, Todd M. Koel, Billie L. Kerans, Scott C. Barras, Katie C. Hanson, John S. Wood

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Myxobolus cerebralis, the cause of whirling disease in salmonids, has dispersed to waters in 25 states within the USA, often by an unknown vector. Its incidence in Yellowstone cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii bouvieri within the highly protected environment of Yellowstone Lake, Yellowstone National Park, is a prime example. Given the local abundances of piscivorous birds, we sought to clarify their potential role in the dissemination of M. cerebralis. Six individuals from each of three bird species (American white pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos, double-crested cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus, and great blue heron Ardea herodias) were fed known-infected or …

Livestock Protection Dogs In The 21st Century: Is An Ancient Tool Relevant To Modern Conservation Challenges?, Thomas M. Gehring, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Jean-Marc Landry

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Europe and North America share a similar history in the extirpation and subsequent recovery of large carnivore and ungulate species. Both continents face challenges and opportunities for managing human-wildlife conflict at the junction of livestock production and wildlife conservation. Predation of livestock and disease transmission between wildlife and livestock is an ongoing and escalating worldwide issue. In order to manage this conflict, producers need effective tools, and they have used livestock protection dogs (LPDs) for reducing predation for well over 2000 years. We review the history of the use of LPDs, including the loss of information on their use and …

European Starling Preferences For Bait Substrates Used In Drc-1339 Applications, H. Jeffrey Usda-Aphis-Wildlife Services, George M. Linz, Scott F. Beckerman, Anthony Duffiney, Thomas Halstead

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Additional bait substrates for the avicide, DRC-1339 Concentrate (3-chloro-4- methylaniline hydrochloride), could provide USDA/Wildlife Services with more flexibility when managing nuisance populations of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) at livestock facilities. From January 11 to 21, 2008, we conducted 11 2-choice preference tests with 6 bait types at a feedlot in central Kansas. The baits included cracked corn mixed with lard (2 concentrations), 2 forms of distiller’s grain (wet powder and pellets), 2 types of livestock feed (calf-starter pellet and sweet-feed mix), and a custom-produced poultry pellet (carrier pellet) made by USDA specifically for baiting starlings. We evaluated bait …

Eradicating Rats On Lehua Island, Hawaii, With The Help Of Gis And Gps, Justin W. Fischer, Peter Dunlevy

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Highlights

• Wildlife Services used GIS and GPS to document and track bait distribution during each bait drop.
• GIS and GPS were critical in making this eradication project effective and environmentally safe.
• Use of the technologies ensured the coverage necessary for the project's goals.

Visitation To Cottonseed Storage Sites By Feral Swine And Evidence Of Gossypol Exposure, Tyler A. Campbell, Sarah Bullock, David B. Long, David G. Hewitt, Michael Dowd

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Texas ranks first in U.S. cotton production, and southern Texas is a major region of production within the state. Within Kleberg County, for example, approximately 16,147 ha are planted in cotton annually, yielding approximately 68,200 bales, or 15,467 metric tons, of cotton (U.S. Department of Agriculture [USDA] 2009). Cotton producers have discovered new uses for cotton ginned by-products, such as hydro-mulch (Holt et al. 2005) used as a protein supplement for range livestock (DelCurto et al. 2000) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus; Cooper 2006). Because of this, much of the materials are temporarily stored for later use.

Eradicating Rats On Lehua Island, Hawaii, With The Help Of Gis And Gps, Justin W. Fischer, Peter Dunlevy

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Lehua Island is an uninhabited, 290-acre crescent-shaped volcanic cone located approximately 150 miles north-northwest of Honolulu, Hawaii, or approximately 20 miles west of the island of Kauai. Lehua is a state-designated seabird sanctuary managed by the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (HIDLNR) and federally owned by the U.S. Coast Guard. Renowned for its diversity of nesting seabirds, it is home to at least 17 recorded species of seabirds, including, but not limited to, colonies of Laysan and black-footed albatross, red-footed and brown boobies, black noddies, and Newell's shearwaters. Lehua is also home to several species of native coastal …

Effects Of Aquaculture On Migration And Movement Patterns Of Double-Crested Cormorants, D. Tommy King, Bradley F. Blackwell, Brian S. Dorr

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We analyzed 10,620 recovery records for double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) banded as nestlings from 1923 to 2006 to determine the population’s age structure, migration routes, dispersal patterns, and the possible influence of the expansion of the aquaculture industry in the southeastern United States on these population characteristics. Ninety-nine percent of the birds were banded during June to August, and 78% were banded as pre-fl edged birds. Cormorants banded in the interior region of the United States comprised 91% of all birds banded from 1955 to 2006; these birds wintered primarily in the Lower Mississippi Valley and the northern …

The Effect Of Enclosure Type On The Behavior And Heart Rate Of Captive Coyotes, Stacey P. Brummer, Eric M. Gese, John A. Shivik

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The potential for captivity to elicit changes in animal behavior and physiology is well known. Recent research on captive populations has examined the effect of feeding protocols, enclosure types, and enrichment programs on indices of stress and displays of species-typical behaviors. We investigated the impact of enclosure type upon captive coyotes (Canis latrans) by examining differences in coyote behavior and heart rate, among 3.3m² kennels (K), 65.5m² small pens (S), and 1000m² large pens (L). Time budgets and repertoire of species-specific behaviors were compared among each enclosure type and to a sample of wild (W) …

Potential Economic Damage From Introduction Of Brown Tree Snakes, Boiga Irregularis (Reptilia: Colubridae), To The Islands Of Hawai‘I, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Karen Gebhardt, Katy N. Kirkpatrick, Steven S. Shwiff

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The Brown Tree Snake (Boiga irregularis) has caused ecological and economic damage to Guam, and the snake has the potential to colonize other islands in the Pacific Ocean. This study quantifies the potential economic damage if the snake were translocated, established in the state of Hawaii, and causing damage at levels similar to those on Guam. Damages modeled included costs of medical treatments due to snakebites, snake-caused power outages, and decreased tourism resulting from effects of the snake. Damage caused by presence of the Brown Tree Snake on Guam was used as a guide to estimate potential economic …

Epizootiologic Survey Of Mycobacterium Bovis In Wildlife And Farm Environments In Northern Michigan, Gary W. Witmer, Amanda E. Fine, James Gionfriddo, Michael Pipas, Kirk Shively, Kim Piccolo, Patrick Burke

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Bovine tuberculosis (bovine TB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis, has reemerged in northern Michigan, USA, with detections in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in 1994 and in cattle in 1998. Since then, significant efforts have been directed toward reducing deer densities in the area in the hopes of reducing the bovine TB prevalence rate in deer and eliminating spillover of the disease into cattle. Despite the success of the efforts to reduce deer densities, additional cattle herds have become infected. Other mammals can be infected with M. bovis, and some carnivores and omnivores had been found to be infected with …

Emerging Challenges Of Managing Island Invasive Species: Potential Invasive Species Unintentionally Spread From Military Restructuring, William C. Pitt, Randal S. Stahl, Christi Yoder

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The U.S. Department of Defense is in the process of restructuring military assets in the Pacific Basin that includes moving more troops to Guam. As a result of this process, the potential risk of vertebrate invasive species may increase across Micronesia. We identified the pathways through which goods and materials are moved throughout the Pacific basin and then developed a list of the most likely invasive vertebrates that could be moved in these pathways. We reviewed the available literature, interviewed experts, and evaluated pathways according to a fixed set of criteria to determine the risk of the pathway to transport …

Challenges And Unique Solutions To Rodent Eradication In Florida, Gary W. Witmer, John D. Eisemann, Parker Hall, Michael L. Avery, Anthony Duffiney

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Once established, invasive rodents cause significant impacts to island flora and fauna, including species extinctions. There have been numerous efforts to eradicate invasive rodents from islands worldwide, with many successes. For a number of reasons, many invasive vertebrates have become established in Florida, including several rodent species. We have implemented rodent eradication efforts on two Florida islands. Using the successful eradication strategy developed for Buck Island, U.S. Virgin Islands, we have attempted the eradication of roof rats from Egmont Key off Tampa Bay. We also are attempting to eradicate Gambian giant pouched rats from Grassy Key in the Florida Keys. …

Comparison Of Endocrine Response To Stress Between Captive-Raised And Wild-Caught Bighorn Sheep, Sarah Coburn, Mo Salman, Jack Rhyan, Thomas Keefe, Matthew Mccollum, Keith Aune, Terry Spraker, Lowell Miller

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Stress hormones in Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis canadensis), produced in response to environmental changes, road development, or high population density, may impact their immune systems to a threshold level that predisposes them to periodic, large-scale mortality. We compared the stress response to a novel environmental situation and repeated handling between bighorn sheep born and raised in captivity (CR) and bighorn sheep born in the wild (WC) and brought into captivity. We measured plasma epinephrine, norepinephrine, cortisol, and fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM). Three weeks after each group’s arrival we used a one-time drop-net event to elicit an …

Kill Rates And Predation Patterns Of Jaguars (Panthera Onca) In The Southern Pantanal, Brazil, Sandra M. C. Cavalcanti, Eric M. Gese

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Jaguars (Panthera onca) often prey on livestock, resulting in conflicts with humans. To date, kill rates and predation patterns by jaguars have not been well documented. We studied the foraging ecology of jaguars in an area with both livestock and native prey and documented kill rates, characteristics of prey killed, patterns of predation, and the influence of prey size on the duration at kill sites and the time interval between kills. Between October 2001 and April 2004 we monitored 10 jaguars equipped with global positioning system (GPS) collars. We collected 11,787 GPS locations and identified 1,105 clusters of …

Integrity Of Mating Behaviors And Seasonal Reproduction In Coyotes (Canis Latrans) Following Treatment With Estradiol Benzoate, Debra A. Carlson, Eric M. Gese

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Coyotes (Canis latrans) are seasonally monestrous and form perennial pair-bonds. Breeding is dominated by each pack’s alpha male and female, and both sexes share responsibility for territory defense and pup-rearing. They are also opportunistic predators on domestic livestock and pets. But while dominant adults have been implicated as primary killers, depredation is reduced when coyotes are without pups. Contraception, therefore, may represent a non-lethal solution for conflicts between coyotes and humans. Steroid hormones successfully control fertility in some species, but have been considered contraindicated in wildlife and canids in particular; specific concerns include possible induction of aberrant behavior, …

Arthropods Of A Semi-Natural Grassland In An Urban Environment: The John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, Lisa Kutschbach-Brohl, Brian E. Washburn, Glen E. Bernhardt, Richard B. Chipman, Laura C. Francoeur

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Semi-natural grassland habitat fragments, such as those found on airports, might be important for arthropod conservation and biodiversity in urban ecosystems. The objectives of this study were to: (1) describe the arthropod communities present within the grasslands on the John F. Kennedy International Airport and (2) assess spatial and temporal variation in those arthropod communities. We collected arthropods using a vacuum sampler during 2003 and using sweep-net collection methods during 2003 and 2004. During 2003, a total of 1,467 arthropods, representing 17 orders and 68 families were found in vacuum samples. A total of 3,784 arthropods, representing 12 orders and …

An Evaluation Of Three Statistical Methods Used To Model Resource Selection, David M. Baasch, Andrew J. Tyre, Joshua J. Millspaugh, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The performance of statistical methods for modeling resource selection by animals is difficult to evaluate with field data because true selection patterns are unknown. Simulated data based on a known probability distribution, though, can be used to evaluate statistical methods. Models should estimate true selection patterns if they are to be useful in analyzing and interpreting field data. We used simulation techniques to evaluate the effectiveness of three statistical methods used in modeling resource selection. We generated 25 use locations per animal and included 10, 20, 40, or 80 animals in samples of use locations. To simulate species of different …

Antibodies To Influenza And West Nile Viruses In Horses In Mexico, M. A. Loroño-Pino, J. A. Farfan-Ale, J. E. Garcia-Rejon, M. Lin, E. Rosado-Paredes, F. I. Puerto, A. Bates, J. J. Root, A. B. Franklin, H. J. Sullivan, B. J. Blitvich

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

INFLUENZA A virus (IAV) (family Orthomyxoviridae) is a highly infectious respiratory pathogen of birds and mammals, including human beings and horses (Palese and Shaw 2007). The virus is classified into different subtypes based on the antigenic properties of the haemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) proteins. Sixteen HA subtypes (H1 to H16) and nine NA subtypes (N1 to N9) have been identified (Fouchier and others 2005). Two subtypes, H3N8 and H7N7, have been isolated from horses. The H7N7 subtype was first isolated from a horse in Czechoslovakia in 1956 (Prague/56) (Sovinova and others 1958), and the H3N8 subtype was first isolated …