Strategic Jungle Syndicate - 12/22/2000 - In the past week, over 110 seagulls and 45 endangered turtles have turned up dead, or in critical condition. In Key Largo, the turtles appear to have succumbed to pneumonia, but the experts aren't sure what is causing it. Toxins in the water or a virus are currently being investigated.
The seagulls, 50 of which have died so far, have been found on beaches in Volusia County, which includes Daytona Beach. Several culprits could be to blame; scientists are focusing on salmonella, a virus or something toxic in the water. The US Fish and Wildlife Service will be performing necropsies, animal autopsies, on the birds at their Oregon laboratories. The possibility of an exhausting migration hasn't been ruled out, but doesn't appear to be likely.
- Dee Ann Snyder, a resident who is licensed to rehabilitate birds is worried about the number of bird deaths since Friday. She typically treats only "100 to 125" seagulls in any given year. She's treated 58 since Friday.
- [Source - http://www.strategicjungle.com/ ]
More Strange Animal Deaths in Florida
Strategic Jungle Syndicate - 1/01/2001 - Alligators can now be added to the growing list of mysterious animal die-offs in Florida. Since 1997, 312 alligators have turned up dead, 101 of which occurred just last year. Alligators normally have a very long life span, some reaching over 80 years of age. It is very rare to see a dead adult alligator and scientists are baffled.
Nearly all of the alligators found dead were mature and reaching sizes of 10 feet long or more. The animals become lethargic and float for days without moving or eating. Viral infections have been ruled out, and pesticide
poisoning is not thought to be the culprit.One common thread in the animal deaths are microscopic legions on the brains of the animals. Biologists feel the lesions are affecting the animal's ability to process visual signals into muscle movements. The animals can see and realize what is going on near them, but can't get their muscles to move.
The suspected culprit is the water in Lake Griffin. 94% of the algae found in the lake are toxic algae known as _Cylindrospermopsis. This algae has been linked to deaths in Australia. Another algae found in the lake, _Microcystis can also be lethal. However, after three years of study, scientists have been unable to form a link between the algae and the die-offs.
Turtles in the lake have also been affected, included members of the soft- shelled species. Another fish on the deathwatch is the long-nose gar. No official numbers are available, but the normally robust species is turning up dead in larger numbers.
- We'll continue to monitor this situation and bring you all the latest reports as they become available.
- [Source - http://www.strategicjungle.com/ ]
- NOTE: We moved to Florida in 1997 into an area near Tampa which was full of wild life. We had frogs, snakes, birds, squirrels, rabbits, alligators and bugs flourishing. The growth was lush and green because of the heavy rains. Then the drought hit. It is in its third year. Even though it looks like we are getting rain on the weatherman's map we get spits of rain once in a while that last less than a minute. It is very strange. It is something we never expected in Florida due to the Gulf of Mexico in the west and the Ocean in the east. If you see a squirrel now and then, that is about it. Most of the animals and birds have left. The landscape has turned brown and exhausted looking. We are beginning to wonder if it will ever end. The water problems are of course major. The drinking water in Fort Lauderdale is affected from seepage of ocean water into the drinking water reservoirs because they are too low. In our area lawn sprinkling is restricted to once a week. People are fined if they disobey. The reservoir is dangerously low and no efforts are on the way to try to make adjustments to the supply of water. If this trend continues it won't be just animals losing it but people will probably begin to leave.
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