Wildlife Health Connections

Michelle and Vin discuss a hilarious and fascinating award given to a unique wildlife health study in the....transportation category? We wrap up by overviewing other winners of the award in 2021. Ig Noble Award winners and Annals of Improbable Research (AIR) https://improbable.com/ig/winners/ Rhino Study https://bioone.org/journals/journal-of-wildlife-diseases/volume-57/issue-2/2019-08-202/THE-PULMONARY-AND-METABOLIC-EFFECTS-OF-SUSPENSION-BY-THE-FEET/10.7589/2019-08-202.short Connect with Us! Website | https://wildlifehealth.org/podcast/ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/wildlife_health_connections/ Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/WildlifeHealthConnections

The Yellowstone area is a hub of North American wildlife, but lead (Pb) poisoning via ingestion of Pb hunting ammunition remains a serious concern for some species. The interplay of the Yellowstone area as an important area for both wildlife and human activities such as hunting is undoubtedly complex. In this episode, we dive into the issue with Bryan Bedrosian, Conservation Director of the Teton Raptor Center as well as the Director & Co-founder of Sporting Lead Free. Bryan has spent the past 2 decades studying the issue of lead in many species in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem including eagles and ravens. We discuss the various pathways of lead exposure and its impacts on wildlife, as well as the challenges of capturing and sampling raptors and ravens in the wild. We dive into the Sporting Lead Free initiative with Bryan and discuss their efforts to drive non-political, voluntary reductions in lead consumption by wildlife and people. Let's Go! We’re a podcast with a purpose! One of our main goals is to support all the individuals and organizations fighting the good fight and working to keep our wildlife and ecosystems healthy. If you enjoyed this episode, please check out the great work of Teton Raptor Center and Sporting Lead Free: To Learn More About Bryan's work at Teton Raptor Center: Website: https://tetonraptorcenter.org/ IG: https://instagram.com/tetonraptorcenter FB: https://m.facebook.com/tetonraptorcenter To learn more about Sporting Lead Free: SPORTING LEAD FREE Website: https://sportingleadfree.org/ IG: https://instagram.com/sportingleadfree FB: https://m.facebook.com/Sportingleadfree Here's the direct link to become a member of Sporting Lead Free and receive an AWESOME COOZIE for free or preferably with a donation: https://sportingleadfree.org/become-a-member *** Connect with Us! Website | https://wildlifehealth.org/podcast/ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/wildlife_health_connections/ Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/WildlifeHealthConnections

In Washington State, around the year 2008, reports of limping wild elk started to rise dramatically. These elk had hooves that were completely abnormal looking. Some of the deformities looked so bad that it was hard to tell it was even a hoof. The elk looked like they had a claw or a slipper on their feet instead of a hoof. And to complicate things, at the time wildlife managers still didn’t know exactly what caused this horrible elk hoof disease, or if it could spread from one infected elk to another. In today’s episode, we get to hear all the details about how our guest Dr. Margaret Wild and her team at Washington State University designed and built a facility to study hoof disease in a captive elk herd. By studying elk in a captive setting, this allowed Dr. Wild to set up carefully controlled studies to answer the key questions of 1.) what actually causes elk hoof disease 2.) can it be spread between elk and 3) what other factors such as nutrition or environmental conditions influence this disease process? *** To Learn More About Dr. Wild’s Elk Hoof Disease Research at Washington State University: https://vmp.vetmed.wsu.edu/research/elk-hoof-disease/wsu-research More Info on Elk Hoof Disease (Treponeme-Associated Hoof Disease): https://vmp.vetmed.wsu.edu/research/elk-hoof-disease/about-elk-hoof-disease Link to Craig Stephen et al Article- Using a Harm Reduction Approach in an Environmental Case Study of Fish and Wildlife Health: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10393-017-1311-4 We’re a podcast with a purpose! One of our main goals is to support all the individuals and organizations fighting the good fight and working to keep our wildlife and ecosystems healthy. If you enjoyed this episode, please check out the following link to support the Elk Hoof Disease Research Fund: https://foundation.wsu.edu/give/?fund=656590c1-c379-4751-a7fc-a49e7ec77ef9&cat=idonate_colleges&area=idonate_veterinary_medicine&utm_source=veterinary-medicine&utm_medium=wsu-link&utm_campaign=elk-hoof-disease-research-fund *** Connect with Us! Website | https://wildlifehealth.org/podcast/ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/wildlife_health_connections/ Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/WildlifeHealthConnections

Veterinarian Dr. Rebecca Duerr discusses the recent Orange County, California oil spill, her role at International Bird Rescue (IBR), and the operation of the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) on the west coast. Dr. Duerr shares how these organizations respond to oiled wildlife (from rescue, rehab, release, and post- release tracking) and how volunteers play a critical role in this work. For more information and how you can help, check out IBR and OWCN at: www.birdrescue.org https://owcn.vetmed.ucdavis.edu *** Connect with Us! Website | https://wildlifehealth.org/podcast/ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/wildlife_health_connections/ Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/WildlifeHealthConnections

Episode Part 1 of 2! Dr. Mark Johnson has worked with some of the most iconic species of North America, including grizzly bears, mountain lions, and wolves. Dr. Mark was the first wildlife veterinarian for the National Park Service, serving as Yellowstone National Park’s veterinarian for several years. During this time, he was the project veterinarian for the Yellowstone Wolf Reintroduction Project from 1995-1996. In this episode, he shares some of the craziest stories from his work with wildlife, and explains his unique approach to wildlife capture for research that emphasizes respect and calm energy while minimizing stress for both the people and animals involved. **** Listeners of this podcast get a special discount on Dr. Mark's course: Foundations of Wildlife Chemical Capture: Sign Up Here! More About the Yellowstone Wolf Reintroduction Project: https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/wolf-restoration.htm Connect with Us! Website | https://wildlifehealth.org/podcast/ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/wildlife_health_connections/ Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/WildlifeHealthConnections

Wildlife veterinarian Michelle and wildlife biologist Vincent discuss the recent news about a SARS-CoV-2 positive wild mink in Utah- the first confirmed case of the COVID-19 virus in a wild animal. They breakdown what’s been happening at mink farms in Europe and the U.S. where COVID-19 has been spreading between captive mink and humans, and how that led to the current zombie mink fiasco in Denmark. How does this all relate back to wildlife conservation, especially for endangered black-footed ferrets which are a close relative of mink? ***** Connect with Us! Website | https://wildlifehealth.org/podcast/ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/wildlife_health_connections/ Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/WildlifeHealthConnections

Wildlife Veterinarian Dr. Rob Adamski shares his stories and experiences from the world of wildlife rehabilitation. For example, what happens if a wild animal accidentally eats something highly toxic like lead or rat poison? What’s the difference between a wildlife rescue and a kidnapping? And how can wildlife rehabilitation centers contribute to wildlife health and conservation on a population level- in addition to treating animals on an individual basis? *** Episode Notes To learn more about wildlife rehabilitation and how to get involved, visit the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association (NWRA): https://www.nwrawildlife.org/page/Careers_EnterField For More Info on Lead Poisoning in Wildlife: Lead Toxicity: A Threat to Wildlife Lead Contamination in Wildlife For More Info on Rodenticide Toxicity in Wildlife: Cornell Wildlife Health Lab- Rodenticide Toxicity Connect with Us! Website | https://wildlifehealth.org/podcast/ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/wildlife_health_connections/ Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/WildlifeHealthConnections

Our first guest is my long-time mentor and friend, Dr. Mark Pokras. Mark is a wildlife veterinarian with 5 decades of experience working on everything from pathology, ecotoxicology, clinical wildlife medicine, zoo medicine, research, teaching, and too many other things to list. In this episode, Mark describes his incredible path to becoming the wildlife vet that he is today, and his role in developing the field of Conservation Medicine. *** Conservation Medicine Programs Around the World: Tufts University: https://vet.tufts.edu/center-for-conservation-medicine/ University of Edinburgh: https://www.ed.ac.uk/vet/studying/postgraduate/taught-programmes/conservation-medicine Murdoch University: https://www.murdoch.edu.au/School-of-Veterinary-and-Life-Sciences/Our-courses/Postgraduate/Conservation-Medicine/Master-of-Veterinary-Studies-in-Conservation-Medicine/ Saint Louis Zoo Institute for Conservation Medicine: https://www.stlzoo.org/conservation/institute-for-conservation-medicine Improving Diversity & Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine: National Association for Black Veterinarians: https://nabvonline.org/ A Profession in Crisis: Discrimination in Veterinary Medicine https://vetmed.tamu.edu/diversity/a-profession-in-crisis-discrimination-in-veterinary-medicine/ Connect with Us! Website | https://wildlifehealth.org/podcast/ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/wildlife_health_connections/ Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/WildlifeHealthConnections

Welcome to the Wildlife Health Connections Podcast- We're so glad you found us! *** Connect with Us! Website | https://wildlifehealth.org/podcast/ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/wildlife_health_connections/ Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/WildlifeHealthConnections