katewinslet2 days ago

https://floridanewstimes.com/france-killed-more-than-600000-poultry-in-a-new-bird-flu-outbreak/401342/?fbclid=IwAR1VZTPc0eoaUNznarbreTn1YO7_AaS_l63vNEkOyFlsVFZwg98eKXDl3sc

France slaughtered 600,000 to 650,000 chickens, ducks and other poultry last month, officials said Friday in a race to contain the bird flu virus, the fourth potentially outbreak in the country since 2015. Stated.

Ministry of Agriculture reported virus Centered in the southwest, home of the highly profitable foie gras putty industry in France, there are clusters in 26 factory livestock farms, 15 wild birds and 3 barns.

In some European countries, the highly contagious influenza strain H5N1 is fighting just a year after a similar virus has destroyed the herd.

Belgium and the United Kingdom have announced outbreaks, but Czech veterinarians said Wednesday that 80,000 birds would be slaughtered on a single farm where more than 100,000 animals have died from the virus since last week. ..

In France, the government ordered farmers in November to keep poultry indoors to prevent the spread of the virus by migratory birds, but the first case was detected at a northern site later that month. rice field.

According to the ministry, the first incident that hit the southwest, where most outbreaks are currently occurring, occurred on December 16.

Last winter, more than 500 farms were outbreaks, resulting in culling of about 3.5 million people. bird, Mainly ducks, urged the government to spend millions of euros on compensation.

Chicken farmers were already hit by a major outbreak of bird flu in the winters of 2015-16 and 2016-17.

France orders poultry blockade due to risk of bird flu

© 2021 AFP

Quote: France has a new outbreak of bird flu acquired on December 31, 2021 from https: //phys.org/news/2021-12-france-culls-poultry-bird-flu.html (December 2021) Cull more than 600,000 poultry in 31 days)

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France killed more than 600,000 poultry in a new bird flu outbreak

Source link France killed more than 600,000 poultry in a new bird flu outbreak

The ground, typically moist from snow this time of year, was dry and flammable as a result of unusually warm temperatures and a lack of precipitation in recent months, experts said.

Anthony D-Amario, 18, looks through the remains of his home destroyed by the Marshall Fire in Louisville, Colo., on Dec. 31, 2021.Alyson McClaran / ReutersJan. 1, 2022, 1:30 AM PST / Updated Jan. 2, 2022, 5:37 AM PSTBy Elizabeth Chuck

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/climate-change-primed-colorado-rare-december-wildfire-rcna10543?fbclid=IwAR04nEyw_BNPKbLYMzEN_K05dlGYbR0lxioLiwzZOkTMWbjz-WDoIXNAO7g

The rare December blaze that tore through Boulder County, Colorado, at frightening speed this week may not be that unusual in the future, wildfire experts are warning, as climate change sets the stage for more.

Wildfires do not historically happen during the winter, particularly in areas like Boulder County, where the ground is normally moist from snow. 

But in recent months, Colorado has experienced a severe drought. From July 1 through Dec. 29, 2021, Denver recorded its lowest amount of precipitation by over an inch, with snowfall at record low levels, too. Meanwhile, Boulder, which typically sees about 30 inches of snow between September and December, received just one inch in that period leading up to the day of the fire. 

Wildfires near Boulder, Colorado force thousands to evacuate

DEC. 30, 202101:52

Combine that with an unseasonably warm fall, and the ground had significantly less moisture in it than it normally would — creating perfect conditions for a fire to flourish.

“Everything is kind of crispy,” said Keith Musselman, a snow hydrologist and assistant research professor at the University of Colorado Boulder. “In addition to the extreme drought, just one- or two-degree warmer days can really dry out the landscape quite a bit more, so everything is that much drier and flammable.”

Officials say wind gusts of up to 105 mph fanned the flames, rapidly destroying between 500 and 1,000 homes and giving residents barely any time to evacuate.

While gusts of that magnitude are somewhat out of the ordinary for this time of year, they cannot be directly tied to climate change, said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at the University of California Los Angeles and the nonprofit Nature Conservancy. 

However, he said, climate change was definitely the reason the ground was primed for the wind-whipped fire to take off, and other areas may experience similar extensions of their wildfire seasons.

“Climate change is clearly making the pre-conditions for wildfires worse across most fire-prone regions of the world,” he said.

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In addition to the time of year during which it occurred, Colorado’s fire stood out for another reason, said Philip Higuera, a professor of fire ecology at the University of Montana. Very few burn as many structures as this one did.

“Unfortunately, this illustrates one of the worst-case scenarios,” he said of the fact that the blaze burned through densely populated neighborhoods. “These are these high-wind events under these extremely dry conditions and you’re basically crossing your fingers and hoping there isn’t a human-caused ignition in the wrong place.”Addressing the problem

The solution, the experts say, is two-pronged: Attacking climate change through actions and discussions within communities and households in the long term, and in the short term, not assuming that a certain area is immune from fires.

“We as a society need to recognize that wherever we’re living in the West with vegetation is a fire-prone environment,” Higuera said. “This can happen anywhere.”

That might mean changing the way homes are built or reinforced to make them more fire-proof, or changing infrastructure so that power lines are buried or shut off during high-wind events, he said.

Officials initially suspected a downed power line as the cause of Thursday’s blaze in Colorado but later said the investigation revealed there had not been any. They said they were continuing to investigate the cause.

While fires are likely to become more common year-round, Swain said winter still would not be a time of high fire activity.

“I still don’t think winter is ever going to be peak fire season in the West,” he said. “But it used to be a fire non-season, and I really don’t think that’s the case anymore.” 

ENTERTAINMENT

https://nypost.com/2021/12/31/betty-white-was-a-trailblazing-animal-rights-activist/

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By Natalie O’NeillDecember 31, 2021 5:55pm  Updatedhttps://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.493.0_en.html#goog_1031529004

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Betty White had a wild side.

The legendary “Golden Girls” star — who died Friday at age 99 — was a pioneering animal rights activist devoted to saving endangered species and improving conditions at the Los Angeles Zoo.

The beloved actress worked for decades to champion animals in her charity work, along with publishing a book on the subject and starring in the nature-boosting 1971 show “Pet Set.”

“Betty White demonstrated a lifelong commitment to helping animals in need, including dedicated support for local shelters and animal welfare endeavors, fiercely promoting and protecting animal interests in her entertainment projects, and personally adopting many rescued animals,” said Matt Bershadker, ASPCA president and CEO.

“Betty was a constant and compassionate advocate for vulnerable animals across the country, and will be greatly missed.”

Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association president Tom Jacobson added, “Her work with [the zoo] spans more than five decades, and we are grateful for her enduring friendship, lifelong advocacy for animals, and tireless dedication to supporting our mission.”

After White’s death on Friday, fans took to Twitter to thank her for being a friend, to animals.

“A trailblazer. An original. And a truly kind soul. May she be forever surrounded by four-legged animals in heaven,” one fan tweeted.

Another added, “Everyone loved Betty White for a million different valid reasons, but I’d like to celebrate her decades of activism, advocacy and devotion on behalf of animals and animal welfare, something she learned as a child and made a central part of her life. #RIP”

White — who owned dogs including a Pekingese, a St. Bernard and miniature poodle — had a deep love of all things furry and feathered.

“I’m the luckiest person in the world — my life is divided in absolute half: half animals, half show business,” White told TV Guide in 2009.

“It is so embedded in me,” she said, according to Smithsonian magazine. “Both my mother and father were tremendous animal lovers. They imbued in me the fact that, to me, there isn’t an animal on the planet that I don’t find fascinating and want to learn more about.”

After White was born in 1922, her mom even joked that her longtime orange tabby cat, Toby, was still top dog. 

“My mother always told me that if Toby didn’t approve, I would have to go back,” White quipped to Parade magazine.

In the 1960s, White began working with the Los Angeles Zoo to help improve the then-lackluster conditions of animal enclosures.

“I got involved with the Los Angeles Zoo because I was kind of shocked that Los Angeles had such a poor zoo inside,” she told AARP. “I’ve never been one to stand outside and criticize. I’d rather get inside and see what’s going on, see how I can help.”

She served on the zoo’s board for more than 50 years, paving the way for state-of-the-art chimpanzee, orangutan and gorilla exhibits.

“Many people have a closed mind on zoos. They think no animal should be in captivity, they should all be in the wild in their own habitat. Well, of course, that is a myth,” White told Smithsonian.

In the 1970s, White also worked with the Morris Animal Foundation, which “advances animal health” though top-notch research, according to its website

White eventually served as the group’s president emeritus as it developed groundbreaking animal science such as the feline leukemia vaccine and the Potomac horse fever vaccine.

Over the years, she also worked closely with the SPCALA and the dog guide school The Seeing Eye. 

In 2011, White published the book Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo and went on to host TV animal-centric TV specials such as the “Hero Dog Awards,” “Big Cat Week” and “Betty White Goes Wild.”

Tom Lounsbury, Hearst MichiganDec. 30, 2021Comments8

https://www.manisteenews.com/sports/article/Predator-hunting-a-great-winter-pastime-day-or-16734614.php

Now that the year has come to a close and the annual deer seasons are over, it is time for the “other season” to begin, something I much enjoy and always look forward to. Predator hunting is a fast-growing pastime, and for good reason because it offers a unique and challenging atmosphere for enjoying Michigan’s great outdoors.

There is no doubt the coyote has become the star in regards to predator hunting in Michigan, because it is a highly prolific, adaptable and efficient predator, and I’ve watched how its numbers have spread throughout our state during the last four decades. (Not to mention all of North America as well, including regions it has never been in before, and now it has even crossed the Panama Canal and is moving into South America). The coyote can even do well in an urban environment.https://61a27945cb94c2b2dea2988d6d99761a.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Also on the predator list are the fox (both red and gray) and, where legal (refer to the Michigan DNR Hunting Guide), the bobcat. While this is commonly referred to today as “predator hunting,” I, being old-school, still tend to call it “varmint hunting.” But whatever you wish to call it, Michigan offers excellent opportunities.

In my Thumb area, this entails strictly fox and coyote, because the bobcat hunting zone is further north. Whatever method you use, predator hunting is extremely challenging, and for me, it helps to shorten up a typical long winter.https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.493.0_en.html#goog_1486767918https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.493.0_en.html#goog_1486767919https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.493.0_en.html#goog_1486767920https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.493.0_en.html#goog_1486767921

One of the oldest forms of predator hunting is using hounds, a time-honored method steeped in tradition which goes back eons, with dogs and humans working constructively together. It is by no means a slam-dunk affair, and a case in point is a hunt I was on near Rogers City.

The hounds were pursuing a bobcat in a dense cedar swamp, and I was thrilled to the core when I could hear the baying of the hounds coming my way as I intently watched the gaps in the cover and the sound of the dogs came ever closer.https://61a27945cb94c2b2dea2988d6d99761a.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

Pretty soon, I spotted the dogs passing through the gaps as they went right on by me, but I never did see that bobcat. There is no question in my mind that it was like trying to spot a wisp of smoke whisking through the shadows. Such happens, and I do thoroughly enjoy listening to the hounds “singing,” which is always a major part of this atmosphere.

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• https://www.jweekly.com/2021/12/30/scientists-worry-an-avian-flu-killing-thousands-of-cranes-in-israel-could-spread-to-humans/

BY SHIRA HANAU, JTA | DECEMBER 30, 2021

As the Omicron variant of the coronavirus spreads across Israel, scientists in the country are worried about a new infectious disease threat: an avian flu that has killed thousands of wild birds migrating through Israel in the past month and has already spread to Israeli poultry farms.

Thousands of crane carcasses from birds infected with the disease have been found at the Hula Lake Reserve in the north of Israel, which becomes a major site for migrating birds to feed as they fly through the country twice each year.

The Israeli government is now killing off thousands of chickens in an effort to stop the flu from spreading unchecked through poultry farms, and to reduce the chances of the flu jumping from birds to humans.

Israel’s Environmental Protection Minister Tamar Zandberg said the flu caused “the worst blow to wildlife in the country’s history,” according to The Times of Israel. More than half a million chickens from Israeli farms have been killed thus far.

Amnon Lahad, chairman of Israel’s National Council for Community Health, told The Times of Israel that the spread of the avian flu was “very concerning.”

“It’s made the move from wildlife to stock animals, and I’m hoping it won’t make the next step to humans,” he told the publication.

Lahad noted that while avian flus do not tend to spread as quickly among humans as the coronavirus, the prospect of the virus jumping to humans is still concerning.

“Nevertheless, we don’t want to see this reaching humans. We have Omicron — we really don’t need another infectious disease,” he said.