Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (HPEPH) is urging residents to ensure pets do not come into contact with wild birds or other potentially sick animals after a domestic dog in the Oshawa region was found to have been infected with Avian Influenza (H5N1) from chewing on a wild goose.
The dog developed clinical signs of avian flu and later died.
Dr. Ethan Toumishey, Medical Officer of Health and CEO at HPEPH, in a media release, states Avian Influenza usually spreads among wild bird populations but can sometimes affect commercial poultry or other animals such as dogs when they come into contact with infected animals.
He states it’s rare for avian flu to spread to people, with most human cases resulting from close…
BALTIMORE – Vultures have been dropping dead at Conowingo Dam in Harford County.
Now, test results confirm suspicions of a possible outbreak of Avian Flu.
Avian flu is a serious concern across the country.
If it makes its way onto a poultry farm, it can impact the food supply.
That is why the Maryland Department of Agriculture is not taking any chances when it comes to containing the confirmed cases found in vultures at Conowingo Dam.
Bird watchers and nature photographers come from all over to admire and capture the winged wildlife at Conowingo Dam – particularly the bald eagles.
But a few hundred yards from their perch, you’ll see warning signs and barriers around a less photogenic bird – black vultures.
Last week, about 20 dead black vultures were discovered at the entrance to Fisherman’s Park…
Humans hunted giant snails on the way to becoming an apex predator, suggests study
by Justin Jackson , Phys.org
Metachatina kraussi, Achatinidae, Mollusc shell. Credit: Naturalis Biodiversity Center/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY
Humans are the ultimate apex predators on planet Earth. No matter how large-sized, sharp-toothed, razor-clawed, pointy-horned or venomous a creature may be, humans have hunted it for food. Moreover, according to a study led by the University of the Witwatersrand, they have also done so no matter how slow, small and slimy.
Giant African land snails (Achatinidae) were systematically brought to the Border Cave site in eastern South Africa, roasted and consumed, starting from 170,000 years ago, in a practice that continued for 100,000 years.
The Border Cave site is located on a cliff with an amazing view and is home to some of the oldest fossils found of anatomically modern humans. Intermittent human habitation of the cave from before 227,000 years ago to as recently as 600 years ago provides a unique window into the past across timeframes. Archaeologists have found some of the earliest evidence of symbolism here, as well as beads, tools, burials and the construction of grass beds.
The current study, published in Quaternary Science Reviews and titled “Evidence for large land snail cooking and consumption at Border Cave c. 170–70 ka ago. Implications for the evolution of human diet and social behaviour,” offers a detailed examination of diet from fragments of land snail shells found across most of the history of the cave.
Snails are an excellent source of nutrients, are slow moving, easy to hunt and could have been stored alive in the cave for some time before being consumed, but they are safest to eat when cooked.
Previous work in the cave has revealed the burning of wood for cooking, warmth and protection against predators. The charcoal record also suggests that plant species may have been selected for their latex, nutritional value, and insecticidal, medicinal and cosmetic properties.
The fragments of shells were found in a variety of colors, from lustrous beige to brown and matte gray. Suspecting that the color variations could be from exposure to heat, the researchers tested modern giant land snail shell fragments with various time and temperature exposures. Color change, weight loss and shattering of samples were recorded.
Snail shells, comprising layers of aragonite, undergoes a mineralogical phase transition into calcite if subjected to substantial heating. The transformation of aragonite into calcite in the experimental shell heating was tracked with infrared and Raman spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy was also used to better identify heat-induced transformations as opposed to decomposition processes.
The results of the experiment led to the conclusion by researchers that giant African land snails were brought to the site by humans and roasted before consumption.
As the authors point out, consumption of land snails continues today in Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Nepal, Southeast Asia and Northeast India, though these are likely reemergent practices as opposed to an unbroken trail of snail snacking from the earliest hunters.
More information: Marine Wojcieszak et al, Evidence for large land snail cooking and consumption at Border Cave c. 170–70 ka ago. Implications for the evolution of human diet and social behaviour, Quaternary Science Reviews (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.quascirev.2023.108030
RBC | Big game hunters will feel the chill of the winter of 2022-23 this fall. Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is recommending a 40% reduction in limited licenses for elk, deer and pronghorn herds across northwest Colorado in response to higher than usual winter mortality.
“Fawn survival at this point is in the low 30th percentile,” said Area Wildlife Manager Bill deVergie of the mule deer population. “We would hope for high 40s and 50s, but could get down into the 20th.” Elk calf survival is “probably a little higher, 35-40%,” while pronghorn antelope have been hardest hit. “If we have 10% fawn survival I think we’ll be doing good.”
While areas north of Rio Blanco County have had a harder winter, with deeper…
The 2023 spring turkey hunting season in Kentucky kicks off soon, with the youth-only window open April 1-2, and general hunting season beginning April 15 through May 7.
According to the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources, this season is structured to give turkeys ample time to breed before introducing hunting pressures — while giving hunters the opportunity to hear the gobblers.
Wild turkeys communicate through different vocalizations during the breeding season, and officials are expecting an “especially good” hunt this year.
Zak Danks, wild turkey program coordinator for KDFWR, forecasted this good year from 2-year gobblers based on the above-average turkey brood survival rate recorded in 2021. Brood surveys, which are conducted in July and August, help the department make season predictions.
Danks is encouraging beginners to try turkey hunting this season, because of the expected abundance…
There’s a new push in Augusta to ban hunting in enclosed areas like lodges and game ranches.
Senator Ben Chipman, D-Portland, introduced the new bill, LD 1068.
“It is time to finally put an end to these so-called ‘canned hunting’ operations,” Senator Chipman said. “The vast majority of the public and hunters are against canned hunting, and it has no place in Maine’s hunting tradition.”
The bill would prohibit the operation of all game ranches in Maine. Game ranches, also known as canned hunts, captive hunting operations, and shooting preserves, offer amateur hunters the experience of hunting in a controlled environment. This legislation would establish any violation of this law as a Class E crime.
Chinook Salmon swim up a fish ladder at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife Feather River Hatchery just below the Lake Oroville dam during the California drought emergency in 2021.
Patrick T. Fallon/AFP via Getty Images
Chinook salmon fishing off the California coast will be called off until next spring in anticipation that a near-record-low number of fish will return to the state’s rivers to spawn.
The recommendation was made by the Pacific Fishery Management Council, a federal commission that oversees West Coast fisheries. It will need to be approved by the National Marine Fisheries Service by May 16.
The measure, unseen in 14 years, would temporarily ban both commercial and recreational salmon fishing in the state. Much of the fishing off the coast of neighboring…
In 2021, New York introduced a pilot programlowering the age for children hunting deer with guns and crossbows to just 12 years old. The program is set to expire at the end of the year, but now the legislature wants to make that change long term through a section in the governor’sproposed 2024 budget bill(Part RR) that would lower the agepermanently.Supporters allege that youth hunting is a family-friendly “sport,” but in no other team or individual competitions are opponents chased down to their deaths!Kids who are taught to hunt are really being taught that it’sOK to kill animals for “fun,”and in the process wild families are torn apart and orphaned young are left to starve. But animals aren’t the only ones who suffer, as every year thousands of hunting injuries—andeven deaths
International Respect for Chickens Day Thinking Like a Chicken News & Views!
Today I want to tell you about a very special day in May – a day meant for all chickens! May 4th is International Respect for Chickens Day – a day to celebrate chickens, wherever we may be, by doing an inspiring Action of Compassion for these wonderful birds. In this podcast I suggest some things you can do and that others have done through the years to promote kindness and appreciative care for chickens. Oh, by the way, the entire month of May is International Respect for Chickens Month, so there’s plenty of time to do your Respect for Chickens project in May. Whatever you do, please share your project with us so that we may share it with others and add it permanently to our International Respect for Chickens Day webpage <https://upc-online.org/respect/>. And now, tune in!
KAREN DAVIS, PhD <https://www.upc-online.org/karenbio.htm> is the President and Founder of United Poultry Concerns, a nonprofit organization that promotes the compassionate and respectful treatment of domestic fowl including a sanctuary for chickens in Virginia. Inducted into the National Animal Rights Hall of Fame for Outstanding Contributions to Animal Liberation, Karen is the author of numerous books, essays, articles and campaigns. Her latest book is For the Birds: From Exploitation to Liberation: Essays on Chickens, Turkeys, and Other Domesticated Fowl published by Lantern Publications & Media.
ST. GEORGE —Year-round cougar hunting and trapping in Utah takes effect in May amid conservationists’ concerns about decreased populations, increased human-puma conflicts and harmed ecosystems.
A cougar stands on a rock, date and location unspecified | Stock image, St. George News
A new law, designated asHB 469in the 2023 Utah legislative session, includes various amendments concerning land sales, trail cameras and other wildlife-related issues. The original bill made no changes regarding cougar management, but within the last few days of the session,Sen. Scott D. Sandallintroduced language that removes permit requirements for taking mountain lions.
“We’re getting an increase in our cougar numbers across the state,” Sandall said. “We have a program in place; this replaces the program for harvesting cougars and allows cougars to be taken year-round with a hunting license.”
LOCAL ALERTDear Jenn,
Supporters allege that youth hunting is a family-friendly “sport,” but in no other team or individual competitions are opponents chased down to their deaths!Kids who are taught to hunt are really being taught that it’s
