Wildlife Health Connections – Details, episodes & analysis

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Anytime a wildlife disease story gets covered in mainstream news media, we get excited!  In January 2022, a news story about Skunk Adenovirus 1 causing mortality in porcupines caught our attention.  In this episode, we chat with Dr. David Needle, senior pathologist at the New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Lab and the first person to diagnose Skunk Adenovirus 1 in the U.S. Since then, he’s been studying this emerging wildlife disease as it keeps popping up in different species.

Links!

Check out the New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Lab:

https://colsa.unh.edu/new-hampshire-veterinary-diagnostic-laboratory

Here’s that awesome book that Dr. Needle mentions:

The North American Porcupine by Uldis Roze (second edition) -https://www.buteobooks.com/product/c517.html

News Stories about Skunk Adenovirus: 

https://apnews.com/article/science-health-maine-wildlife-harbors-0e8fea831c4edfbd8fe69effd6ea4269

https://www.unh.edu/unhtoday/2018/12/unh-veterinary-pathologist-identifies-first-case-skunk-adenovirus-1-us-third-world

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Website | https://wildlifehealth.org/podcast/

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Wildlife veterinarian Michelle and wildlife biologist Vincent discuss the recent news about a SARS-CoV-2 positive wild mink in Utah- the first confirmed case of the COVID-19 virus in a wild animal. They breakdown what’s been happening at mink farms in Europe and the U.S. where COVID-19 has been spreading between captive mink and humans, and how that led to the current zombie mink fiasco in Denmark. How does this all relate back to wildlife conservation, especially for endangered black-footed ferrets which are a close relative of mink?

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Website | https://wildlifehealth.org/podcast/

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Andrea Bogomolni, PhD is an interdisciplinary community scientist who has dedicated her career to ocean health. She works to understand and mitigate human impacts on marine species, facilitate effective collaborations, and raise awareness of ocean health and the connection to human health. In this episode, we talk about seals and seal health, and what these fin-footed friends can tell us about our own health and the state of the environment we all share. We also hear some of the challenges she’s faced in her career working with marine mammals. And also…exploding whale carcasses. 

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Check out Andrea’s Website:

https://andreabogomolni.com

The exploding whale of Florence, Oregon:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/11/13/oregon-whale-explosion-anniversary/

Research Article on Normal Blood Values in Gray Seals:

Krucik, D. D., Mangold, B., Puryear, W., Keogh, M., Bogomolni, A., Romano, T., ... & Nutter, F. (2020). Serum biochemical and hematologic reference intervals for weanling northwest atlantic gray seals (halichoerus grypus). Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine, 51(1), 228-231.

Link to article: https://doi.org/10.1638/2019-0086

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Wildlife Veterinarian Dr. Rob Adamski shares his stories and experiences from the world of wildlife rehabilitation. For example, what happens if a wild animal accidentally eats something highly toxic like lead or rat poison? What’s the difference between a wildlife rescue and a kidnapping? And how can wildlife rehabilitation centers contribute to wildlife health and conservation on a population level- in addition to treating animals on an individual basis?

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Episode Notes

To learn more about wildlife rehabilitation and how to get involved, visit the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association (NWRA): https://www.nwrawildlife.org/page/Careers_EnterField

For More Info on Lead Poisoning in Wildlife:

Lead Toxicity: A Threat to Wildlife

Lead Contamination in Wildlife

For More Info on Rodenticide Toxicity in Wildlife:

Cornell Wildlife Health Lab- Rodenticide Toxicity

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Website | https://wildlifehealth.org/podcast/

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Ellen Martinsen, PhD is a leading researcher of malaria parasites in wildlife. These are microscopic parasites that live in the blood, and while tiny in size they can cause big problems. These parasites are found in wildlife on almost every continent, and maybe even in your own backyard. In this episode, Ellen breaks it down for us and shares some of her most surprising research findings. I also catch up with her graduate student Alyssa Neuhaus who tells us what it’s like working with Ellen, and explains what human cadavers have to do with it all.

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Episode Notes:

University of Vermont Malaria Parasites Lab:

https://www.uvm.edu/~jschall/current.html

Science Advances Article- Hidden in plain sight: Cryptic and endemic malaria parasites in North American white-tailed deer

https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/2/2/e1501486

National Audubon Article- Bird CSI: A Loon, a Swollen Spleen, and a Mysterious Disease

https://www.audubon.org/news/bird-csi-loon-swollen-spleen-and-mysterious-disease

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Website | https://wildlifehealth.org/podcast/

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Our first guest is my long-time mentor and friend, Dr. Mark Pokras. Mark is a wildlife veterinarian with 5 decades of experience working on everything from pathology, ecotoxicology, clinical wildlife medicine, zoo medicine, research, teaching, and too many other things to list. In this episode, Mark describes his incredible path to becoming the wildlife vet that he is today, and his role in developing the field of Conservation Medicine.

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Conservation Medicine Programs Around the World:

Tufts University:

 https://vet.tufts.edu/center-for-conservation-medicine/

University of Edinburgh:

 https://www.ed.ac.uk/vet/studying/postgraduate/taught-programmes/conservation-medicine

Murdoch University:

https://www.murdoch.edu.au/School-of-Veterinary-and-Life-Sciences/Our-courses/Postgraduate/Conservation-Medicine/Master-of-Veterinary-Studies-in-Conservation-Medicine/

Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine:

https://www.stlzoo.org/conservation/institute-for-conservation-medicine

Improving Diversity & Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine:

National Association for Black Veterinarians:

https://nabvonline.org/

A Profession in Crisis: Discrimination in Veterinary Medicine

https://vetmed.tamu.edu/diversity/a-profession-in-crisis-discrimination-in-veterinary-medicine/

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Website | https://wildlifehealth.org/podcast/

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Hosts Michelle (wildlife veterinarian) and Vincent (wildlife biologist) introduce themselves, and explain why they decided to launch this podcast, and why now.  What makes wildlife "healthy," and why is wildlife health especially important today during the COVID-19 pandemic?

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Website | https://wildlifehealth.org/podcast/

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Welcome to the Wildlife Health Connections Podcast- We're so glad you found us!

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Connect with Us!

Website | https://wildlifehealth.org/podcast/

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The Yellowstone area is a hub of North American wildlife, but lead (Pb) poisoning via ingestion of Pb hunting ammunition remains a serious concern for some species. The interplay of the Yellowstone area as an important area for both wildlife and human activities such as hunting is undoubtedly complex. 

In this episode, we dive into the issue with Bryan Bedrosian, Conservation Director of the Teton Raptor Center as well as the Director & Co-founder of Sporting Lead Free. Bryan has spent the past 2 decades studying the issue of lead in many species in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem including eagles and ravens. We discuss the various pathways of lead exposure and its impacts on wildlife, as well as the challenges of capturing and sampling raptors and ravens in the wild. We dive into the Sporting Lead Free initiative with Bryan and discuss their efforts to drive non-political, voluntary reductions in lead consumption by wildlife and people. 

Let's Go!

We’re a podcast with a purpose! One of our main goals is to support all the individuals and organizations fighting the good fight and working to keep our wildlife and ecosystems healthy.  If you enjoyed this episode, please check out the great work of Teton Raptor Center and Sporting Lead Free:

To Learn More About Bryan's work at Teton Raptor Center:

Website:  https://tetonraptorcenter.org/ 

IG:  https://instagram.com/tetonraptorcenter 

FB:  https://m.facebook.com/tetonraptorcenter 

To learn more about Sporting Lead Free:

SPORTING LEAD FREE

Website:  https://sportingleadfree.org/ 

IG:  https://instagram.com/sportingleadfree 

FB:  https://m.facebook.com/Sportingleadfree 

Here's the direct link to become a member of Sporting Lead Free and receive an AWESOME COOZIE for free or preferably with a donation:

https://sportingleadfree.org/become-a-member 

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Connect with Us!

Website | https://wildlifehealth.org/podcast/ 

Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/wildlife_health_connections/ 

Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/WildlifeHealthConnections