UNDIAGNOSED DIE-OFF, FINLESS PORPOISE - CHINA: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
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A ProMED-mail post
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International Society for Infectious Diseases <http://www.isid.org>
Date: Tue 1 May 2012
Source: livescience.com [edited]
<http://www.livescience.com/20021-dead-yangtze-finless-porpoises.html>
32 Dead Porpoises Worry Wildlife Experts
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More than 32 Yangtze finless porpoises have been found dead in the Dongting and Poyang lakes in China in the last 2 months [March and April 2012], leading wildlife experts to worry whether the rare animals are being pushed closer to extinction, the World Wildlife Fund has reported.
Yangtze finless porpoises live mainly in the freshwater Yangtze River and the 2 lakes, where the bodies of more than 32 of them have been found since March 3 [2012]. One of the porpoises was pregnant, according to the blog Save Yangtze Finless Porpoise.
"This tragedy shows that Yangtze finless porpoise is facing enormous challenges," said Lei Gang, head of WWF China's Central Yangtze program, in a statement. "The porpoise deaths illustrate that without effective measures to fundamentally reverse the trend of ecological deterioration, [the] future of the incredible creature is far from certain."
After examining the dead porpoises, scientists were left with a long list of possible culprits, including electro-fishing, strikes by boat-engine propellers, food shortages and pollution.
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Communicated by:
ProMED-mail from HealthMap Alerts
<promed@promedmail.org>
[The finless porpoise [_Neophocaena phocaenoides_] is a cetacean that resides in coastal waters and some rivers in tropical and subtropical Asia. The Yangtze finless porpoise is the sole freshwater sub-species of the whole family of porpoise. It is only found living in the Yangtze and associated lakes, and it is endangered. A picture of an individual found dead can be seen at <http://www.edgeofexistence.org/edgeblog/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/finless-porpoise-1.jpg>.
More information on the post-mortem examination and tests run is requested. A HealthMap/ProMED-mail map of the area can be found at:
<http://healthmap.org/r/2j6z>. Mod.PMB]
[see also:
2011
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Encephalitis, protozoal, porpoise - Canada (BC), RFI 20110521.1543 Undiagnosed deaths, harbor porpoises - Canada: (BC), RFI
20100514.1568
1999
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Harbor porpoise, deaths - USA (Maine - North Carolina)(02)
19990503.0728
Harbor porpoise, deaths - USA (Maine to North Carolina)
19990430.0718
1997
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Porpoise mortality - Canada (BC) 19970527.1089] .................................................sb/pmb/ejp/lm/ll
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