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Dr. Stefan. Ekernas, the director of field conservation with the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, reacts to the wolf sighting on a Colorado Corridors Project camera last month.

By: Aidan Hulting

https://www.denver7.com/news/state-news/washington-tribe-rescinds-offer-of-gray-wolf-donation-to-colorado-cpw-will-search-for-new-source

Posted 7:46 PM, Aug 02, 2024

and last updated 7:46 PM, Aug 02, 2024

DENVER — Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) has hit a snag in the roadmap to reintroduce gray wolves to Colorado.

Ten wolves were reintroduced in Grand and Summit counties in December 2023, and one died of an apparent mountain lion attack. CPW has confirmed at least one pup.

CPW had entered an agreement with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation to capture and help send up to 15 wolves to Colorado.

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Those wolves would have been delivered between December 2024 and March 2025.

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According to CPW, this agreement has been rescinded. Joseph Livingston, statewide public information officer for CPW, confirmed that the offer was rescinded.

Livingston said while the offer is off the table, CPW is hopeful to continue to work with the tribe in the future and does not close the door to future conversations about reintroduction.

“Naturally, the decision made by the Colville Business Council and the Tribal Government and Natural Resources Committees is disappointing, but we have a strong relationship with the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation and hope to continue these conversations in the future,” said CPW Director Jeff Davis. “We will continue working with other potential sources for wolves to further our efforts to restore wolves to Colorado. We are not contemplating halting our implementation of the plan and will continue in our efforts to restore a sustainable population of wolves to the state while avoiding and minimizing impacts to our critically important agricultural industries and rural communities.”

Colorado’s wolf conflict coordinator and ranchers work to find common ground

When asked what caused this change, CPW said it had to do with tribal relations.

“The council and the Tribal Government and Natural Resources Committees expressed some concerns regarding tribal relations that we will continue addressing with the Tribe, and we have every expectation that we can and will move forward together to maintain and grow our tribal relationships inside and outside of Colorado,” said Livingston.

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By Dr. Sanchari Sinha Dutta, Ph.D.Aug 4 2024

https://www.news-medical.net/news/20240804/H5N1-avian-flu-found-in-Texas-dairy-cattle-and-milk-sparking-concerns-about-underreported-infections.aspx

Scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB), USA, have detected H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) in cattle and milk samples collected from two dairy farms in Texas.  

The study, which is currently available on the medRxiv preprint* server, highlights the need to develop effective interventions against H5N1 HPAIV to prevent pathogen spillover.

Image Credit: McKenzie Kizer / Shutterstock

Background

*Important notice: medRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.

H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza A viruses (HPAIV) have caused millions of deaths in wild birds and poultry across the world. Recently, these viruses have been identified in many animal species, with HPAIV H5N1 HA clade 2.3.3.4b being the most predominant type in these spillover events.   

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has recently detected H5N1 HPAIV infection in 172 cattle farms in 13 states. Four dairy farm and nine poultry farm workers have also been suspected to have these infections recently.

Considering the seriousness of the situation, the current study was designed to investigate the presence of novel respiratory viruses in two Texas dairy farms.

Study design

The study was conducted in two dairy farms in Texas, where H5N1 HPAIV infection was recently detected in cattle. The farm owners invited the scientists to investigate, as they had a research proposal to study novel respiratory viruses in livestock farms in the United States and Mexico.

A total of 17 farm workers were recruited in the study. They provided nasopharyngeal and serum samples for the analysis. Five out of 17 workers reported experiencing respiratory illnesses and using different medications for the condition.

From both farms, a total of 39 cattle nasal swab samples and 14 milk samples were collected for molecular assays, cell and egg culture, and Sanger and next-generation sequencing to isolate and characterize respiratory viruses.   

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Three-hour bioaerosol samples were also collected from different farm regions to investigate the presence of novel viruses in the environment.

Important observations

The study detected H5N1 HPAIV in nine of 14 milk samples and one of 39 cattle nasal swab samples. However, none of the nasopharyngeal swabs collected from farm workers tested positive for influenza A viruses and coronaviruses.

One nasal swab collected from a sick cow showed the presence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Among 14 serum samples collected from farm workers, two showed elevated levels of neutralizing antibodies against a recombinant influenza A H5N1 virus.

Among 24 bioaerosol samples collected from both farms, none showed molecular evidence of influenza A and coronaviruses.

H5N1-positive milk samples were further analyzed using Sanger sequencing and next-generation sequencing for viral characterization. The findings revealed that viruses are closely related to other recent Texas epizootic H5N1 strains of clade 2.3.4.4b.

The mutational analysis revealed the presence of multiple common mutations across isolated viral genomes. These mutations are associated with viral virulence and propagation, host specificity shift, and drug resistance.

Study significance

The study highlights the presence of H5N1 HPAIV infections in cattle in two Texas dairy farms. Although the virus was detected only in one cattle nasal swab sample, about 64% of milk samples tested positive for H5N1 HPAIV.

These findings indicate that although the virus is rapidly cleared from the nasal tissues, infected cattle can shed H5N1 HPAIV in milk for a prolonged period of time.

Most importantly, the detection of anti-HPAIV neutralizing antibodies in farm workers highlights the possibility of previous infections that remained undetected during the acute infection phase.

This highlights the possibility of underreporting of HPAIV infections in farm workers, which can subsequently lead to large outbreaks even outside farm worker communities.

“I am very confident there are more people being infected than we know about,” senior author Gregory Gray, MD, MPH, a UTMB infectious disease researcher, told NPR. “Largely, that’s because our surveillance has been so poor.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) decide whether to vaccinate farm workers against HPAIV based on surveillance data, which indicate a low prevalence of HPAIV infection.

This low prevalence is due to low testing rates among farm workers. Many infections may remain undiagnosed among people who have been exposed to sick dairy cattle.

“Maybe what we see isn’t exactly the tip of the iceberg, but it’s certainly not the whole story,” said Richard Webby, director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Influenza at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee.

Studies identifying novel respiratory viruses are infrequently conducted in dairy farms because of the fear of business loss. As Gregory Gray mentioned, without collaborative efforts between the government and the livestock industry, the U.S. risks about this virus will remain in the dark.

This highlights the need for collecting more comprehensive epidemiological data necessary to design future interventions against H5N1 HPAIV on cattle farms. 

The Canadian-American actor explained that ‘a lot of people have kids even before they think about it’ and the internet couldn’t agree more.

ByNeha B.

August 4, 2024

https://www.good.is/seth-rogen-was-asked-about-being-childless-and-his-honest-response-is-very-refreshing

Cover Image Source: Seth Rogen and wife Lauren Miller attend the 2018 MTV Movie And TV Awards at Barker Hangar on June 16, 2018, in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

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Just like a Hollywood rom-com scene, it was a summer night in 2004. Screenwriter Will Reiser was attending a party with his date. This is where his friend Seth Rogen and a friend of his date, Lauren Miller, bumped into each other. Seth and Lauren liked each other so much that they ended up going on a date at 4 am that very night, eating grilled cheese sandwiches, and playing Spanish Scrabble until sunrise. Since then, they have made some bold choices in their romantic relationship, from moving in together in 2005 to deciding to “not have kids.” Seth has often been asked why they chose to remain childless. In a March 2023 episode of the “Diary of a CEO” podcast, Seth revealed the answer and people are applauding his thinking for that.

Speaking to host Steven Bartlett, the Golden Globes nominee said that not having children actually “helped him succeed” in Hollywood. At about 51 minutes into the podcast, Seth said, “There’s a whole huge thing I’m not doing, which is raising children.” Steven attempted to break into this thought process by saying, “But it might make you happier,” to which Seth quickly replied, “I don’t think it would.” The 40-year-old star added that he has obviously worked with a lot of children, in films like “Horton Hears a Who!” (2008), “Kung Fu Panda” (2008), “Monsters vs. Aliens” (2009), “The Simpsons” (1989) and “American Dad! “(2005). Nevertheless, he said, “Some people want kids. Some people don’t want kids.”

The Canadian-American actor explained that “a lot of people have kids even before they think about it.” Most people just seem to go through the routine process of a career followed by marriage followed by having kids. But neither Seth nor his wife were like that at any time in their relationship. They were always content not having kids. “The older we get, the happier and reaffirmed with our choice to not have kids,” Seth said, feeling relieved, “Thank God, we don’t have children.”

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“We get to do whatever we want,” Seth continued. He even listed some of the things he and his wife can now do and would not have been able to if they had kids. “We are in the prime of our lives. We’re smarter than we’ve ever been. We understand ourselves more than we’ve ever had. We have the capacity to achieve the level of work and a level of communication and a level of care for one another and a lifestyle – we can live with one another,” he said before bursting into short hysterical laughter. The filmmaker reaffirmed that they are so happy they chose to remain child-free. “Me and my wife get a lot of active enjoyment out of not having kids than having kids.”

Seth’s free thinking touched the hearts of people who expressed admiration for him. A child-free woman, @ninabradshaw2267, commented that it was “really refreshing” for her to “hear someone speak about being child-free.” @mikehunthurst6953 affirmed, “Having kids is a choice, not a requirement.”

2 minute read

https://time.com/7007802/rfk-bear-carcass-central-park/

By Anna Gordon

August 5, 2024 8:36 AM EDT

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has confessed to retrieving a bear carcass killed by a motorist and leaving it in New York’s Central Park with a bicycle on top 10 years ago in a bizarre new video he posted on X on Sunday.

The video, which was shared with the caption, “Looking forward to seeing how you spin this one, @NewYorker,” came ahead of a critical profile of the independent presidential candidate published on Monday.

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While recounting the story to actress Roseanne Barr, RFK Jr. said that he had been driving in upstate New York on his way to a hunting trip when a woman driving in front of him hit a bear with her car, accidentally killing it. “I pulled over and I picked up the bear and put him in the back of my van because I was gonna skin the bear and … put the meat in my refrigerator,” he said.

Read More: Inside the Very Online Campaign of RFK Jr.

RFK Jr. said that the hunting trip ran late and he had dinner plans and needed to be at the airport that evening. “The bear was in my car and I didn’t want to leave the bear in my car because that would have been bad,” he added.

At that time, fatal bicycle accidents in New York City that were getting major media attention. RFK Jr.’s friends, who were drinking, decided to leave the bear carcass with an old bicycle he had. “We thought it would be amusing for whoever found it,” RFK Jr. said.

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Two women walking their dogs discovered the bear the next day and alerted police. “To think people would do something like this to an animal—very disturbing,” one resident told CBS news.

The carcass was sent to Albany for a necropsy, which said that the animal was likely hit by a motor vehicle and was not a case of animal cruelty.

This is not the first unusual incident involving RFK Jr. during his longshot presidential campaign. Earlier this year, he denied eating a dog after a friend showed Vanity Fair a photo of him about to take a bite of a charred animal. RFK Jr. also revealed in May that he suffered memory loss more than a decade ago, potentially related to a parasite doctors found in his brain.

Photographer Cheryl Alexander was ‘horrified’ to see her iconic image of the Canadian sea wolf Takaya being used for a wolf hunting ad

Leyland Cecco in TorontoSun 4 Aug 2024 06.30 EDTShare https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/04/canada-wolf-takaya-killed-hunting-site

Ever since he was killed by a hunter in 2020, the Canadian sea wolf Takaya has appeared all over the world.

Paintings, poems, sculptures and statues – including a 150lb (68kg) mixture of driftwood, sea shells and dried kelp – have memorialized a wolf whose legacy reflects the complex relationship between humans and wildlife.

But photographer Cheryl Alexander, a relentless advocate against government-sanctioned wolf culls, was shocked to see her most famous image used to advertise a big game hunting company.

“I was shocked and a bit horrified. And it really pissed me off that company was using Takaya as an advertisement to come up to Canada and kill a wolf,” she told the Guardian. “It hurt too because Takaya has become, in many ways, an international image for positive coexistence with humans.”

The unlikely story of the wolf’s years of self-imposed isolation captivated residents of Vancouver Island, some of whom would paddle by the rocky outcrops and windswept trees hoping to glimpse the animal. But one day in late March, a hunter’s rifle brought an untimely end to the wolf.

Alexander recently found British Columbia-based Terminus Mountain Outfitters was using her photo to advertise its wolf hunting package. She soon posted to her Instagram page, appealing to her 33,000 followers to share news of the company’s decision to use the photo.

The owner of Terminus said in a statement he didn’t mean to “offend” anyone with the image.

“[A web design company] chose some live wildlife photos to use on the [website]. July 27th I was contacted by a disgruntled person upset about a wolf picture that they recognized as a wolf named Takaya. I had no idea of the story behind this wolf or even which of the three pictures on my website was of Takaya. I asked my web developer … to simply remove all three of the photos. July 29th they were removed. Neither I nor my web developer meant to offend anyone,” he said. “Unfortunately, because of the media attention we are now getting emails that are threatening and quite angry when we had nothing to do with the live pictures chosen. We are a legal family-run business.”

Both the image, and the page on wolf hunting, have since been taken down.

In British Columbia, hundreds of wolves – which are seen as vermin that must be eradicated – are killed for sport each year. Hunters usually only take the pelts, discarding the remains. Channelling growing outrage – and changing perceptions – Alexander and local conservation groups have started a petition calling for a moratorium on wolf hunting in British Columbia that has so far received more than 65,000 signatures. Alexander has also founded the non-profit Takaya’s Legacy which works to support wolf protection initiatives.

While Takaya’s legacy has aligned with the aims of conservation groups, his curiosity – or lack of fear – also raised difficult questions about the relationship locals had fostered with the wolf that led to his demise.

“I was angry about the photo, but there’s a silver lining, because it actually allows word to get out there about what’s happening in Canada regarding trophy hunting – the whole range of wild animals that are hunted in Canada is quite disgusting,” said Alexander. “We’re grappling with loss of biodiversity. That trophy hunters are continuing to hunt them just for fun and for recreation is not acceptable.”