science news

CSI Wilderness: Researchers use predator spit to ID kill sites

A newly released study aims to utilize DNA extraction from saliva at prey kill sites to help identify predator species. Of an acquired 53 recent hare kills, researchers managed to get positive IDs on 31 of them. Laurel Peelle’s research is published in the September 2019 Wildlife Society Bulletin.

Conservation Researchers: hunting bans imperil biodiversity

New writings published in the Science Journal urge governments and policymakers to take account of these findings in the face of high-profile emotionally-driven campaigns that call for bans on the regulated hunting of abundant species.

Toxic algae may be making Florida’s wild felines “mental”

Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has documented several wild felines showing signs of apparent neurological issues.

Penn State continues study of mange in bears, with help from local trappers

Last year, Penn State researchers announced a focus study on the growing problem of sarcoptic mange among the state’s black bear populations. The study has been led by immunologists and entomologists within Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences, which has focused on bear ecology, bear movement, and the animal’s immune response amid an increasing mange presence.

New strain of canine distemper confirmed in NH, VT

Pathologists with the New Hampshire Veterinary Diagnostic Lab at the University of New Hampshire have been working on study of CDV in multiple wildlife species for a few years. The disease may already be having an impact on populations of wild mesocarnivores in New Hampshire and New England, including fox and fisher.