Conservationists have warned Australia is poorly prepared for the potential arrival of a deadly form of avian influenza that has killed millions of birds and thousands of mammals overseas.
When HPAI H5 (high pathogenicity avian influenza of subtype H5) arrived in South America late last year it killed more than 60,000 seabirds and 3,500 sea lions within weeks in Peru alone.
It has spread to every continent except Australia and Antarctica, and has so far affected 300 species of wild birds and caused hundreds of mass mortality events.
The Invasive Species Council (ISC) has written to the…
A Las Vegas concert. An Orlando nightclub. An elementary school in Newtown, Conn. A Texas church. And now a high school in Parkland, Fla.
America’s most popular weapon was there for all of them.
AR-15-style rifles have increasingly appeared in American mass shootings, including the deadliest high school shooting in the nation’s history at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., Wednesday.
The National Rifle Association has called the AR-15 — the semi-automatic, civilian version of the military’s M-16 — the “most popular rifle in America” and estimates Americans own more than 8 million of them.
The name AR-15 (AR stands for ArmaLite, not assault rifle, which is a common misconception) is trademarked by the firearms manufacturer Colt. But since the patent on the weapon’s operating system ran out, a host of other manufacturers began making their own variants of the popular rifle.
The NRA said “the AR-15 has soared in popularity” because it’s “customizable, adaptable, reliable and accurate.” It is also versatile and can be used for “sport shooting, hunting and self-defense situations,” the NRA said, adding the ability to “personalize” so many of the rifle’s components “is one of the things that makes it so unique.”
On top of that, the weapon is accurate, relatively lightweight and has low recoil.
The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence also cited the rifle’s versatility in evaluating its popularity.
“They’re accurate and they can basically shoot as quickly as you can pull the trigger,” according to a campaign statement.
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“Along those lines, they’re very customizable — most average people can figure out how to install accessories like forward trigger grips that let you hold the gun at waist height and spray bullets while stabilizing the gun, laser sights, and you can add high-capacity magazines.”
The ability to add a high-capacity magazine to the rifles is certainly one factor that makes them attractive to people looking to commit mass murder. A 30-round magazine is fairly standard with MSRs (although some states cap the capacity to 10 or 15 rounds), but “drums” holding as many as 100 rounds are also available.
But the AR-15 and its variants aren’t the only high-capacity semi-automatic rifles on the market.
Dean Hazen, owner of The Gun Experts in Mahomet, Ill., and a master firearms instructor, said the reason mass shooters are turning to the AR-15 is due to a “copy-cat” mentality more than any feature of the rifle.
“It’s really just a perception thing,” Hazen said. “There are rifles that are more powerful and more dangerous than that, but they’re not being used.”
Hazen said the AR-15 has “gotten a bad rap.” He believes mass shooters generally don’t know much about guns and choose the AR-15 because of the reputation it has gotten from being used in other mass shootings.
“Thank God they don’t know any better because if they did they would use much more effective weapons,” Hazen said.
Here is a list of mass shootings in the U.S. that featured AR-15-style rifles during the last 35 years, courtesy of the Stanford Geospatial Center and Stanford Libraries and USA TODAY research:
Feb. 24, 1984: Tyrone Mitchell, 28, used an AR-15, a Stoeger 12-gauge shotgun and a Winchester 12-gauge shotgun to kill two and wound 12 at 49th Street Elementary School in Los Angeles before killing himself.
Oct. 7, 2007: Tyler Peterson, 20, used an AR-15 to kill six and injure one at an apartment in Crandon, Wis., before killing himself.
June 20, 2012: James Eagan Holmes, 24, used an AR-15-style .223-caliber Smith and Wesson rifle with a 100-round magazine, a 12-gauge Remington shotgun and two .40-caliber Glock semi-automatic pistols to kill 12 and injure 58 at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo.
Dec. 14, 2012: Adam Lanza, 20, used an AR-15-style rifle, a .223-caliber Bushmaster, to kill 27 people — his mother, 20 students and six teachers — in Newtown, Conn., before killing himself.
June 7, 2013: John Zawahri, 23, used an AR-15-style .223-caliber rifle and a .44-caliber Remington revolver to kill five and injure three at a home in Santa Monica, Calif., before he was killed.
March 19, 2015: Justin Fowler, 24, used an AR-15 to kill one and injure two on a street in Little Water, N.M., before he was killed.
May 31, 2015: Jeffrey Scott Pitts, 36, used an AR-15 and .45-caliber handgun to kill two and injure two at a store in Conyers, Ga., before he was killed.
Oct. 31, 2015: Noah Jacob Harpham, 33, used an AR-15, a .357-caliber revolver and a 9mm semi-automatic pistol to kill three on a street in Colorado Springs, Colo., before he was killed.
Dec. 2, 2015: Syed Rizwyan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, 28 and 27, used two AR-15-style, .223-caliber Remington rifles and two 9 mm handguns to kill 14 and injure 21 at his workplace in San Bernardino, Calif., before they were killed.
June 12, 2016: Omar Mateen, 29, used an AR-15 style rifle (a Sig Sauer MCX), and a 9mm Glock semi-automatic pistol to kill 49 people and injure 50 at an Orlando nightclub before he was killed.
Oct. 1, 2017: Stephen Paddock, 64, used a stockpile of guns including an AR-15 to kill 58 people and injure hundreds at a music festival in Las Vegas before he killed himself.
Nov. 5, 2017: Devin Kelley, 26, used an AR-15 style Ruger rifle to kill 26 people at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, before he was killed.
Feb. 14, 2018: Police say Nikolas Cruz, 19, used an AR-15-style rifle to kill at least 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.
A U.S. official confirmed to NBC News on Sunday that a U.S. Navy ship, the USNS Brunswick, has arrived in Port Sudan, Sudan, to assist with the effort to evacuate American citizens.
Armed drones escorted hundreds of Americans as they began their escape fromwar-torn Sudanon Saturday amid fierce fighting between the military and a rival paramilitary group.
The unmanned aerial vehicles flew above a convoy of buses as they made the 500-mile journey from the African nation’s capital, Khartoum, to Port Sudan on the country’s east coast, a U.S. official familiar with the matter confirmed to NBC News.Several hundred Americans were on board at least a dozen buses, said the official, who was not authorized to speak…
Eggs are a prime ingredient the decades-old neighborhood staple continues to use, which makes it difficult to make their baked goods cheaply.
“We seek alternatives by looking for eggs at better prices and we needed to increase a little bit the costs to compensate for the high egg prices and shortage,” Hernandez also noted. “We could find eggs but the prices were what most affected us.”
Keep reading for more on how and why this worldwide trend has continued to affect people and businesses alike.
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What’s causing the egg shortage?
“A highly pathogenic avian influenza has been spreading in the U.S., making headlines as the price of eggs soared at the start of the year and fears of the next zoonotic pandemic creep into popular media,” reads a University of Maryland study.
The study, which was published to the science journal Conservation Biology back on April 19, warns consumers and business owners alike that this strain in particular seems to be spreading like wildfire, and it could lead to another zoonotic outbreak.
And as a result, that means egg shortages will continue to plague the nation, possibly for quite a while.
According to NPR, the bird flu is often lethal, or unfortunately, infected birds have to be culled, as to not spread it to other birds. Over the last few months, farms such as those in Japan have had to kill most of their birds. That’s why egg shortages, and therefore, rising egg prices, almost always tend to be a result from the deadly avian disease.
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Can humans contract the bird flu through egg consumption?
If you do choose to buy eggs during the current avian flu outbreak or beyond, you don’t need to worry about contracting the bird flu as a human being.
According to The American Journal of Infection Control, H5N1 is not a blood-borne pathogen. That means touching the egg shells will most likely not result in any sort of infection. And if you’re cooking your eggs properly, you won’t be able to contract it from eating the eggs, either.
In fact, the FDA has reported that nobody has reported a bird flu infection from eating properly cooked eggs thus far.
You can still, of course, contract other ailments such as salmonella from consuming eggs, especially if they are undercooked. So that is probably something you should be more concerned about, as opposed to potentially contracting H5N1 from that egg and cheese sandwich you ate earlier this morning.
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Humans can get bird flu from interacting with birds, though a vaccine is in the works. So if you happen to work with or around chickens, continue to do so with caution.
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What is causing the 2023 avian flu outbreak?
The bird flu is a disease spread through birds poop, saliva, or through contaminated food and water, according to World Economic Forum. Since it was first discovered in the 1990s, it’s been considered to be highly contagious. So for birds in close quarters (aka poultry raised for meat or eggs), it’s a really, really big problem.
As previously mentioned, entire flocks are being culled, because it’s so contagious and deadly. And with more farms, results in the disease spreading even farther.
At this point, we can only hope that H5N1 won’t end up like COVID-19, a disease that is believed to have started in an animal, and spread to humans because of our unhealthy and too-close-for-comfort relationship with animals through animal farming, and other nasty practices.
As avian flu continues to decimate backyard poultry flocks in Montana, the highly contagious disease has been detected in large carnivores at an alarming rate, prompting health officials to urge caution around sick animalsBY TRISTAN SCOTTAPRIL 28, 2023
A grizzly bear in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem seen on Sept. 12, 2021. Hunter D’Antuono | Flathead Beacon
Earlier this month, the Montana Department of Livestock confirmed the 17th case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in a backyard poultry flock linked to last year’s statewide outbreak, renewing concerns over the persistence of a disease better known as “bird flu” — as well as about the increasing rate at which the current strain is being transmitted to mammals, including grizzly bears.
In northwest Montana, where bear conflict specialists regularly respond to reports of bears raiding chicken coops, wildlife managers are tracking bear behavior with a heightened degree of vigilance this spring after three juvenile grizzly bears tested positive for bird flu last fall, representing the first documented cases of avian flu in grizzlies.
“We suspect these mammals probably get the virus from consuming infected birds,” FWP Wildlife Veterinarian Jennifer Ramsey said.
The three bears — one near Bigfork, one near Augusta and another near Dupuyer — were “observed to be in poor condition and exhibited disorientation and partial blindness, among other neurological issues,” wildlife managers reported at the time.
FWP Bear Management Specialist Erik Wenum said the bear in Bigfork was a cub of the year and appeared to be suffering from grand mal seizures at 45-second intervals, a symptom common in rabies infections. After running a battery of tests for other suspected maladies, including encephalitis, lab tests confirmed it was bird flu, according to Wenum.
“The biggest problem is we don’t have a good understanding of how bird-flu symptoms present in bears,” Wenum said. “It’s neurological but we don’t know how long it takes before the symptoms set in. We’re dealing with a hyper-virulent strain here.”
A fox and a skunk in Montana also tested positive for HPAI last year, and the virus has been found in black bears, skunk, badger, mink, raccoons, mountain lions, and even a coyote.
“We just got an updated list from the state veterinarian and while we did not previously have any confirmed cases of bird flu in mountain lions, we do now,” Justine Vallieres, FWP’s bear conflict specialist in Region 1, told the Beacon. “That was as a result of consuming a domestic goose that was infected and died and was improperly disposed of.”
“The other thing the public needs to be mindful of is we are seeing some cases, limited though they are, in which we’ve detected mammal-to-mammal transmission in addition to bird-to-mammal transmission,” Wenum said. “That means if bears can get it, so can people.”
Although the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers risk of HPAI spread to humans to be very low, health officials say Montanans should take precautions when handling game birds, sick or dead birds and mammals they find. That includes avoiding contact with sick or dead wildlife. Even if an animal is not suspected to have died from a contagious disease, gloves should always be worn if a dead animal must be handled for disposal.
“Despite detecting HPAI in birds and mammals, the risk to human health is currently low,” said Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS) influenza epidemiologist Devon Cozart. “However, in order to keep it that way, we are encouraging people to be mindful of their interactions with both domestic poultry and wild birds.”
FWP staff would like to know about unusual or unexplained cases of sickness and/or death of wild birds and animals by calling their local wildlife biologist or the wildlife lab in Bozeman at (406) 577-7880 or (406) 577-7882.
Additionally, there is concern for transmission to domestic cats and dogs that ingest dead infected birds. Mammals with HPAI may exhibit neurologic symptoms, such as incoordination or increased aggression. If you notice abnormal neurologic behavior in your pet, please contact your veterinarian and provide any history of recent ingestion of a deceased bird by the pet. Rabies is also a concern when dealing with animals that exhibit neurologic symptoms.
A nuclear winter is a time period in which the Earth’s atmosphere is so full of smoke and soot from the firestorms caused by nuclear bombs that sunlight is reduced or does not reach the surface of our planet. (These arecountries that control the world’s nuclear weapons.)
A northeast Missouri turkey hunter suffered burns on his arm Thursday while trying to retrieve a gun from a burning house he was using as a hunting cabin. (Echo Menges/Edina Sentinel)
KNOX COUNTY, Mo. —A turkey hunter in northeast Missouri was burned during a Thursday afternoon fire at a small old house he was using as a hunting cabin.
The blaze on Stonewall Avenue between Edina and Knox City was reported at 12:53 p.m.
Knox City Firefighter Andrew Weiler told KTVO that the flames were through the roof when crews arrived on the scene. The structure is a total loss.
Knox City Fire Chief Todd Goodwin said the cause could possibly be electrical, but they aren’t sure because the damage is too extensive.
A BRADFORD district woman left her neighbour’s dead cat dangling from a tree after it was caught in a snare on her land.
June Kershaw, 77, of Harbour Lodge Farm, Haworth, was convicted at court of causing unnecessary suffering to two cats who died in snares on her land.
The cats, Marley and Frankie, belonged to her neighbour.
At Bradford and Keighley Magistrates’ Court, Mrs Kershaw admitted she did not like her neighbour who had an injunction against her in 2017.
Mrs Kershaw told the court the three snares, which she checked every day, had been in the same positions every spring for the last 14/15 years and had only ever caught rabbits attempting to steal growing vegetables from her garden.
The first cat, Marley, a tabby and white Bengal/Savannah type, was found by Mrs Kershaw on April 26.
Cruelty is alive and well in Stafford Township’s Mill Creek Park. Squirrels are being trapped and relocated, which according to studies, is a death sentence.
Relocated squirrels do not know their source of food, water and shelter. Also, resident squirrels are territorial. Mother squirrels are being forced to leave behind babies. Trapping is even permitted when squirrels must endure torrential downpours and hail, like we experienced the other night, while trapped.
If squirrels can not live in the park this truly has become a sad world.
JELEBU: A hunting trip for two friends here turned tragic when one was killed in a shooting incident.
Jelebu police chief Deputy Supt Mazlan Udin said police have remanded a 52-year-old man after he claimed to have accidentally shot his 61-year-old friend in the incident on April 24.
“The suspect claimed they went hunting at Muka Sauk in Kuala Klawang and were armed with home-made weapons.
“The suspect, thinking that he saw a deer, fired a shot which then hit the victim in the head,” he said, adding that the victim was killed on the spot.
DSP Mazlan said the man turned himself in at the Titi station around 8.30pm the same day.
Police also seized the weapon, some live ammunition and empty shells from the suspect.
The case is being investigated under Section 302 of the Penal Code…
Exposing the Big Game 