Exmoor Zoo staff left heartbroken after all 10 penguins die

By North Devon Journal | Posted: September 26, 2016 

Exmoor Zoo staff have been left heartbroken after all its penguins died.

The zoo reported today that all 10 of the birds had died from a quick and devastating outbreak of avian malaria.

There have been penguins at the zoo, near Bratton Fleming, since it opened in 1982, and some of the birds that died today are children of the original birds.

Danny Reynolds, living collection manager at the zoo, said that despite the best efforts of vets and staff – some of whom had hand-reared the birds from birth – the outbreak could not be halted.

He added: "Exmoor Zoo has always had penguins on display and we are very carefully considering whether we should try and exhibit them again."

Read more at

Habitat of Rare Hawaiian Forest Birds Expanding

Three species of Hawaii’s rarest forest birds have been found at the lowest elevations in three decades, giving researchers hope for their continued survival.

The rediscovery of the three species occurred at the Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge, which is located on the northeast slopes of  Mauna Kea, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and US Geological Survey said today.

The three species, the Hawaii creeper, Hawaii ‘akepa and ‘akiapola‘au, are believed to be highly susceptible to mosquito-transmitted diseases, including avian malaria.

It was thought the birds’ distribution was limited to cooler, higher elevations that are less favorable to mosquitoes.

Staff at the Hakalau refuge, which is controlled by the USFWS, heard the songs of the creeper and ‘akepa at the 4,200-foot elevation, within a mile of where they were last observed during a 1977 forest bird survey.

More importantly, scientists said, ‘akiapola‘au were heard and observed 1,000 feet lower in elevation from previous sightings in the 1970s.

They said these new observations significantly extend the current known range of these species at Hakalau.

“Hawaii’s native birds face multiple threats from habitat destruction, invasive species, introduced diseases, and climate change, with many already having been driven to extinction,” said USGS Director Marcia McNutt.

“The observation of three endangered species possibly expanding their range in a wildlife refuge gives us hope that with some care, the road to extinction need not be a one-way street,” she said.

Extensive forest bird surveys showed the area containing the refuge to be among the best-high-elevation rainforest habitats remaining in Hawaii, which led to the establishment of the Hakalau refuge in 1985. It is the only national wildlife refuge dedicated to the conservation and restoration of Hawaiian forest birds.

Continued:  http://bigislandnow.com/2012/06/25/habitat-of-rare-hawaiian-forest-birds-expanding/

Malaria claiming more British birds

Malaria is killing growing numbers of British birds including nightingales, sparrows and chaffinches, say scientists who claim climate change is fuelling the disease. 

Twenty years ago few British species showed regular signs of infection but now some 30 types are infected, monitoring projects have found.

The problem is linked to a rapid growth in mosquito populations, which is attributed to a rise of about 1C in global average temperature.

The proportion of house sparrows infected has risen from less than 10 per cent to 30 per cent, according to Laszlo Garamszegi, of the Doñana biological station near Seville in Spain.

He carried out malaria infection analysis into over 3,000 species around the world, comparing recent information to that dating back to 1944. The study is published in the journal Global Change Biology.

He said: "It does show trends we ought to be worried about."

The avian version of malaria cannot be passed to humans.

Ben Sheldon, professor of ornithology at Oxford University, said: "There is very convincing evidence that a wide range of biological processes are altering in response to climate change."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/wildlife/8700698/Malaria-claiming-more-British-birds.html