Search

Background: Examination into the origin of SARSCoV-2 has shed further light on opportunities for broader zoonotic pathogen transmission stemming from the trade in living wildlife and animal parts, and in associated practices. In certain parts of the world (e.g., Africa), various bird species are illegally captured for both subsistence and nonsubsistence purposes such as for belief-based use. The latter practice includes rare and declining vulture species and arises from the (relatively recent) belief that directly ingesting certain vulture body parts may impart powers of clairvoyance or bring good fortune. Among a variety of capture methods used by hunters, pesticide-poisoned or nicotine-laced baits are prevalent. In 2020, a mass mortality incident in Guinea Bissau involving over 2000 Critically Endangered Hooded Vultures was linked to belief-based practices, and to the use of a carbamate pesticide. This was to date the highest reported number of vultures killed by pesticide poisoning within a single event. Such deliberate, indiscriminate poisoning is now widely acknowledged within conservation sectors as posing evident threats to vulture species and populations. However, the potential human health repercussions arising from the possibility for zoonotic pathogen transmission (e.g., anthrax, avian H5N1 influenza), and for secondary exposure to the range of toxic substances used to capture and prepare individual birds -- whether to hunters, procurers and traders of vulture parts or to consumers -- have remained unexplored. Objectives: Our aims are to 1) generate awareness of these practice within human health risk assessment sectors; and 2) generate interest within the human health sector in examining the potential for zoonotic pathogen transmission and toxicity or poisoning risks to people that may stem from these practices. Discussion: We briefly describe human behaviours associated with this belief-driven practice as they relate to potential exposure, and issue a plea for examination of the associated health risks, in collaboration with ongoing conservation and wildlife forensics efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) ketoprofen and/or meloxicam were qualitatively detected in two of three unfertilized eggs from the nests of two female bearded vultures (Gypaetus barbatus) at a breeding center in southern Spain in 2014. One egg contained trace levels of lead but not cadmium. No residues of organochlorine, carbamate, organophosphorus, or pyrethroid compounds were found in any of the eggs. Both birds were captive-born and reared, and never administered either drug. Investigation suggests provisioned food was the most likely source of exposure. In Europe, considerable investments are being made in efforts to conserve the bearded vulture. We recommend that funding be allocated to the comprehensive, harmonized safety testing of carcasses provisioned to breeding pairs, and encourage all facilities that source carcasses for scavengers and predators to enact similar verification to ensure these animals are receiving the highest possible standards of care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Baseline information was collected on a local Eastern Screech-Owl population found in the apple-producing region of Saint-Hilaire and Rougemont, Quebec, as part of a larger study on pesticide exposure conducted between 2000 and 2003. Screech-Owls visited or occupied 41 of 89 nest boxes installed in 12 orchards and 2 control locations. The mean height of occupied nest boxes was 3.83 m (2.00 - 5.80 m). Squirrels, Sciurus and Tamiasciurius sp., and chipmunks, Tamias striatus, Northern Flickers, Colaptes auratus, and wasps were the owls' primary competitors for the boxes. Intact Screech-Owl pellets retrieved from nest boxes (n = 82) had a mean length and width of 3.57 and 1.44 cm, respectively, and weighed a mean of 1.77 g. Screech-Owls in the study area consumed a variety of small mammal, avian, insect and aquatic prey. Of these, Meadow Voles, Microtus pennsylvanicus, were the predominant prey item identified in pellets, and Mourning Doves, Zenaida macroura, were the primary avian prey found in nest boxes. In Canada, the owl's trend status remains largely unknown. The species is currently listed as "Not at Risk", based on an assessment conducted for COSEWIC in 1986. Given that a limited amount of information exists on the natural history and ecology of the species in Quebec, we also generated a map of the owl's distribution in the province, using data from ornithological databases and rehabilitation facilities. Potential risks to the species within the province, particularly pesticide exposure and habitat loss, are briefly addressed and follow-up studies are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pharmaceuticals are highly bioactive compounds now known to be widespread environmental contaminants. However, research regarding exposure and possible effects in non-target higher vertebrate wildlife remains scarce. The fate and behaviour of most pharmaceuticals entering our environment via numerous pathways remain poorly characterized, and hence our conception and understanding of the risks posed to wild animals is equally constrained. The recent decimation of Asian vulture populations owing to a pharmaceutical (diclofenac) offers a notable example, because the exposure route (livestock carcasses) and the acute toxicity observed were completely unexpected. This case not only highlights the need for further research, but also the wider requirement for more considered and comprehensive 'ecopharmacovigilance'. We discuss known and potential high risk sources and pathways in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems where pharmaceutical exposure in higher vertebrate wildlife, principally birds and mammals, may occur. We examine whether approaches taken within existing surveillance schemes (that commonly target established classes of persistent or bioaccumulative contaminants) and the risk assessment approaches currently used for pesticides are relevant to pharmaceuticals, and we highlight where new approaches may be required to assess pharmaceutical-related risk.