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--0016367fa5346500c6048ed4453e Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Forwarded by request. _________________________________ RF Lauff Way in the boonies of Antigonish County, NS. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Dwaine Oakley <dwaine.oakley@gmail.com> Date: 27 August 2010 12:24 Subject: Gannet injuries and deaths. To: Randy Lauff <randy.lauff@gmail.com> Hello Randy, I read with interest the recent emails on NatureNS regarding injured Northern Gannets and passed these comments on to Dr. Pierre-Yves Daoust a pathologist with the Atlantic Veterinary College who has studied this very subject in detail and has given his permission to share his response. He also wanted to encourage those who find dead gannets to submit them to the AVC. His contact information can be found at this link for those who have further questions http://www.upei.ca/pathmicro/daoust Take care, Dwaine ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Pierre-Yves Daoust <Daoust@upei.ca> Date: Fri, Aug 27, 2010 at 9:28 AM Subject: Re: Dead Gannets. To: dwaine.oakley@gmail.com Hi Dwayne, Thank you for the link to the e-mails. I think that Kathleen MacAulay is correct in most or all of her statements. I do not know how to send an e-mail to this link (admittedly, I did not try hard), but I could have commented that we have done the necropsy of over 200 gannets in the past 20 years, some more detailed than others. From my perspective as a pathologist, a number of interesting findings have emerged. One in particular is a relatively high incidence of encephalitis caused by the protozoan Sarcocystis neurona. The definitive host for this parasite is the opossum, which means that these birds most likely pick it up in their winter habitat and come down with the disease after they have arrived here. This is the same parasite that has caused substantial mortality for several years among sea otters along the California coast. The main issue in that region is thought to be contamination of the coastal environment by freshwater runoffs. I will attend the Seabird Conference in Victoria in early September, and I have prepared a poster on our observations. Another interesting question is whether or not some of these gannets miss their diving calculations on some occasions and slam into the bottom of the water column. I have observed a few gannets whose severe acute injury (but not a broken beak) suggested this. This remains speculative, but many years ago, Eric Tremblay, ecologist at Kouchibouguac National Park, was telling me how, one day that he was observing gannets diving near shore, he saw one diving and, a few seconds later, come up to the surface seemingly dead. I could tell you a few more stories about these birds. They are a treasure trove of interesting findings, normal and pathological. Pierre-Yves --0016367fa5346500c6048ed4453e Content-Type: text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Forwarded by request.<br clear=3D"all">_________________________________<br= >RF Lauff<br>Way in the boonies of<br>Antigonish County, NS.<br> <br><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<= br>From: <b class=3D"gmail_sendername">Dwaine Oakley</b> <span dir=3D"ltr">= <dwaine.oakley@gmail.com&= gt;</span><br> Date: 27 August 2010 12:24<br>Subject: Gannet injuries and deaths.<br>To: R= andy Lauff <<a href=3D"mailto:randy.lauff@gmail.com">randy.lauff@gmail.c= om</a>><br><br><br>Hello Randy,<br> <br> I read with interest the recent emails on NatureNS regarding injured<br> Northern Gannets and passed these comments on to Dr. Pierre-Yves<br> Daoust a pathologist with the Atlantic Veterinary College who has<br> studied this very subject in detail and has given his permission to<br> share his response. He also wanted to encourage those who find dead<br> gannets to submit them to the AVC.<br> His contact information can be found at this link for those who have<br> further questions =A0<a href=3D"http://www.upei.ca/pathmicro/daoust" target= =3D"_blank">http://www.upei.ca/pathmicro/daoust</a><br> <br> Take care,<br> Dwaine<br> <br> <br> ---------- Forwarded message ----------<br> From: Pierre-Yves Daoust <<a href=3D"mailto:Daoust@upei.ca">Daoust@upei.= ca</a>><br> Date: Fri, Aug 27, 2010 at 9:28 AM<br> Subject: Re: Dead Gannets.<br> To: dwaine.oakley@gmail.com<= br> <br> Hi Dwayne,<br> <br> Thank you for the link to the e-mails. =A0I think that Kathleen MacAulay<br= > is correct in most or all of her statements. =A0I do not know how to<br> send an e-mail to this link (admittedly, I did not try hard), but I<br> could have commented that we have done the necropsy of over 200<br> gannets in the past 20 years, some more detailed than others. =A0From my<br= > perspective as a pathologist, a number of interesting findings have<br> emerged. =A0One in particular is a relatively high incidence of<br> encephalitis caused by the protozoan Sarcocystis neurona. =A0The<br> definitive host for this parasite is the opossum, which means that<br> these birds most likely pick it up in their winter habitat and come<br> down with the disease after they have arrived here. =A0This is the same<br> parasite that has caused substantial mortality for several years among<br> sea otters along the California coast. =A0The main issue in that region<br> is thought to be contamination of the coastal environment by<br> freshwater runoffs. =A0I will attend the Seabird Conference in Victoria<br> in early September, and I have prepared a poster on our observations.<br> <br> Another interesting question is whether or not some of these gannets<br> miss their diving calculations on some occasions and slam into the<br> bottom of the water column. =A0I have observed a few gannets whose<br> severe acute injury (but not a broken beak) suggested this. =A0This<br> remains speculative, but many years ago, Eric Tremblay, ecologist at<br> Kouchibouguac National Park, was telling me how, one day that he was<br> observing gannets diving near shore, he saw one diving and, a few<br> seconds later, come up to the surface seemingly dead.<br> <br> I could tell you a few more stories about these birds. =A0They are a<br> treasure trove of interesting findings, normal and pathological.<br> <br> Pierre-Yves<br> </div><br> --0016367fa5346500c6048ed4453e--
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