Mystery Disease Killing Ohio Dogs

'Veterinarians, health officials and dog owners are alarmed by the mysterious recent deaths of four dogs in Ohio. Some experts suspect the dogs may have died a few days after exposure to a virus that's normally found in pigs.

Three dogs in the Cincinnati area and a fourth dog near Akron died in August after exhibiting symptoms that included vomiting, bloody diarrhea, weight loss and lethargy, according to the Columbus Dispatch....'

[link to www.livescience.com]

3,000 saiga antelopes die in Akmola and Karaganda oblasts

'Mortality of 3 thousand saiga antelopes has been registered in Akmola and Karaganda oblasts in central Kazakhstan, Tengrinews.kz reports citing the press-service of the Ministry of Environment Protection of Kazakhstan.

About 1.5 thousand carcases of betpakdalinski saiga antelopes were found at southern, western and northern shores of Tengiz Lake. This type of saiga antelopes also inhabits lowlands and steppes..../\'

[link to en.tengrinews.kz]

Hawaii molasses spill could lead to more predator species, agency says

'A massive molasses spill this week in Honolulu Harbor could lead to an increase in the number of sharks, barracuda and eels, as well as bacteria in the area, the Hawaii Department of Health warned.

"While molasses is not harmful to the public directly, the substance is polluting the water, causing fish to die and could lead to an increase in predator species," the health department said in a statement Wednesday.

"The nutrient-rich liquid could also cause unusual growth in marine algae, stimulate an increase in harmful bacteria and trigger other environmental impacts."

Roger White of Cool Blue Diving shot video of the mess on the ocean floor, where the heavy liquid settled. "I didn't know so many creatures were down there before, but they're all dead, and they're all laying across the bottom -- hundreds and hundreds, thousands,"

[link to www.cnn.com]

Massive Starfish Die-Off Baffles Scientists

'The waters off British Columbia, Canada, are littered with dead starfish, and researchers have no idea what’s causing the deaths.

At the end of August, marine biologist and scuba enthusiast Jonathan Martin was out on his usual Saturday dive with some friends when he noticed something unusual.

“We just started noticing dead starfish that looked like they had their arms chopped off,” Martin said.

They were sunflower starfish (Pycnopodia helianthoides), a major marine predator in the area that feeds mostly on sea urchins and snails. Like most starfish, the sunflower starfish can regenerate lost limbs—it can have up to 20—and can grow to be up to three feet (a meter) across.

Since Martin was diving in an area frequented by crabbers, at first he thought the sunflower starfish had gotten caught in some of the crab traps and had lost limbs escaping. But Martin kept seeing large numbers of dead starfish as he and his friends swam to a marine park where such crab fishing is illegal. Martin knew then it wasn’t the traps that were causing the starfish deaths.

[link to newswatch.nationalgeographic.com]