spectr17
09-24-2001, 11:38 PM
Mystery disease killing moose.
Virus suspected in deaths of 4 animals.
By Jennifer Robinson / The Canadian Press
The dwindling moose population in mainland Nova Scotia's dense forests is falling victim to a mysterious disease that paralyses them, leaving them unable to search for food.
There have been reports that at least four moose, found from southwestern Nova Scotia to northern Cape Breton, have contracted the mysterious disease, said Tony Nette, wildlife resources manager at the Department of Natural Resources.
Some of the animals were found alive and alert, struggling to reach food and water on forest floors where they collapsed. They were later put down.
Scientists and wildlife specialists don't know how many animals have been affected or how long the disease has been around.
But they are worried it could have a damaging impact on the less than 1,000 mainland moose left in the province. Experts believe a population of 5,000 moose is needed to ensure the long-term viability of the species.
"On the mainland, our numbers are so low every loss is a significant loss," Nette said, adding he can't rule out the possibility the disease could some day wipe out remaining moose.
The disease hasn't been found in moose located in the Cape Breton Highlands. That population is separate from the mainland moose and was brought to the area in the 1900s from Alberta.
Complicating efforts to track the disease is the more common "moose sickness," which was discovered in the province in the 1950s.
Spread by a common worm found in deer, the parasite causes disorientation in moose leading them to stop feeding and lose their fear of humans.
It's possible the unknown disease, detected about two years ago, has been mistaken for so-called moose sickness in the past, even though they cause different symptoms in the large animals, said Nette.
He said he has a suspicion that the disease may have been lurking in the province's forests for more than 50 years, based upon stories told by hunters.
Nette said a Digby hunter told him that in 1946, sick moose with similar symptoms as those with the unknown disease were in every bog in southwestern Nova Scotia. Hunters shot as many as they could to get rid of them.
"It sounded really authentic and other oldtimers have confirmed it," he said.
In tests on organs and other tissues taken from dead mainland moose, scientists have found very high levels of the heavy metal cadmium - common in foragers such as snow hares.
Deposits of cadmium from acid rain can accumulate in the kidneys and cause kidney failure.
Dr. Scott McBurney, a wildlife pathologist at the University of Prince Edward Island, doesn't believe cadmium is to blame.
"I'm sort of leaning towards a virus causing this right now. But I'm still not 100 per cent sure," he said after finding inflammation in the brains and spinal cords of infected moose.
"It looks like other viral infections that we typically see in animals."
Changes in the kidneys, common with cadmium toxicity, weren't found, McBurney said.
Virus suspected in deaths of 4 animals.
By Jennifer Robinson / The Canadian Press
The dwindling moose population in mainland Nova Scotia's dense forests is falling victim to a mysterious disease that paralyses them, leaving them unable to search for food.
There have been reports that at least four moose, found from southwestern Nova Scotia to northern Cape Breton, have contracted the mysterious disease, said Tony Nette, wildlife resources manager at the Department of Natural Resources.
Some of the animals were found alive and alert, struggling to reach food and water on forest floors where they collapsed. They were later put down.
Scientists and wildlife specialists don't know how many animals have been affected or how long the disease has been around.
But they are worried it could have a damaging impact on the less than 1,000 mainland moose left in the province. Experts believe a population of 5,000 moose is needed to ensure the long-term viability of the species.
"On the mainland, our numbers are so low every loss is a significant loss," Nette said, adding he can't rule out the possibility the disease could some day wipe out remaining moose.
The disease hasn't been found in moose located in the Cape Breton Highlands. That population is separate from the mainland moose and was brought to the area in the 1900s from Alberta.
Complicating efforts to track the disease is the more common "moose sickness," which was discovered in the province in the 1950s.
Spread by a common worm found in deer, the parasite causes disorientation in moose leading them to stop feeding and lose their fear of humans.
It's possible the unknown disease, detected about two years ago, has been mistaken for so-called moose sickness in the past, even though they cause different symptoms in the large animals, said Nette.
He said he has a suspicion that the disease may have been lurking in the province's forests for more than 50 years, based upon stories told by hunters.
Nette said a Digby hunter told him that in 1946, sick moose with similar symptoms as those with the unknown disease were in every bog in southwestern Nova Scotia. Hunters shot as many as they could to get rid of them.
"It sounded really authentic and other oldtimers have confirmed it," he said.
In tests on organs and other tissues taken from dead mainland moose, scientists have found very high levels of the heavy metal cadmium - common in foragers such as snow hares.
Deposits of cadmium from acid rain can accumulate in the kidneys and cause kidney failure.
Dr. Scott McBurney, a wildlife pathologist at the University of Prince Edward Island, doesn't believe cadmium is to blame.
"I'm sort of leaning towards a virus causing this right now. But I'm still not 100 per cent sure," he said after finding inflammation in the brains and spinal cords of infected moose.
"It looks like other viral infections that we typically see in animals."
Changes in the kidneys, common with cadmium toxicity, weren't found, McBurney said.