HKBWS BBS 香港觀鳥會新聞組


    
      
        HKBWS BBS 香 港 觀 鳥 會 新 聞 組
        (http://www.hkbws.org.hk/cgi-bin/YaBB.pl)
      

        Special Topics 特別主題 >> Black-faced Spoonbill 黑臉琵鷺 >>  OB: Black-faced Spoonbill + Clastridium botulism 
        
(Message started by: Project Officer on Jan 2^nd, 2003, 10:31am)

Title: OB: Black-faced Spoonbill + Clastridium botulism
Post by Project Officer on Jan 2^nd, 2003, 10:31am

Message from the Oriental Bird Club e-mail group, for members information:

Quote"

Dear Simba Chan and Oriental Bird Club Members,

Thank you very much for the update on the Black-faced Spoonbills in Taiwan. If it is appropriate I would also like to pass on some further information sent by Dr. Wen-Yan Chiau of the NGO Wetlands Taiwan, who wrote on December 27th that 67 BFS had now died, and in addition that they were urgently looking for help in getting Clastridium botulism C type Antiserum (strongly indicating that they believe the cause of death to be a form of botulism). In a mail on 28th, he added that it appears that they do not hold the serum in Taiwan, nor has it yet been traced in China by various key people (such as Reiko Nakamura of the Ramsar Centre Japan).

Would anyone subscribing to this list know where there might be supplies of the serum which might be made available to Taiwanese authorities to help them conserve the wintering Black-faced Spoonbills there (especially important considering that near half of the world's BFS winter in Taiwan)?

Through contacting various centres (such as Slimbridge in the UK) and posting on Dr. Chiau's request to various listservers it seems that the only probable location for the serum in the UK at least might be the Central Veterinary Laboratories in Addlestone: like so many other places closed for the New Year holidays. Might supplies be held elsewhere within this region?

I add Dr. Chiau's latest mail below, with his e-mail address, and would respectfully like to urge members to mail any such information to him directly.

With very best wishes,

Nial Moores

South Korea: Wetlands Biodiversity Project, UNDP-GEF (PDF-B)
E-mail (personal): spoonbill@hotmail.com
http://www.wbkenglish.com
H/P: 82-(0)11-9303-1963

"Unquote

International Black-faced Spoonbill Census: 24-26January 2003
http://www.hkbws.org.hk/waterbird/bfs.html

http://www.hkbws.org.hk/graphic/BFSbanner.gif

Title: Re: OB: Black-faced Spoonbill + Clastridium botuli
Post by Project Officer on Jan 2^nd, 2003, 5:01pm

Reply from Taej Mundkur to Nial Moores on Clastridium botulism, for members information:

Quote"
Dear Dr. Chiau, Nial and others,

Thanks for the update on this terrible incident.

It appears from the Environment Canada website http://www.mb.ec.gc.ca/nature/migratorybirds/avianb/dc22s00.en.html that botulism is a regular phenomenon, and through the causative organism Clostridium botulinum is well known, the exact reasons for this outbreaks are unknown.

I have forwarded this message to colleagues at the US Fish and Wildlife Service for assistance and will inform you of any progress.

Regards, Taej

"Unquote

International Black-faced Spoonbill Census: 24-26January 2003
http://www.hkbws.org.hk/waterbird/bfs.html

http://www.hkbws.org.hk/graphic/BFSbanner.gif

Title: Re: OB: Black-faced Spoonbill + Clastridium botuli
Post by Project Officer on Jan 2^nd, 2003, 5:35pm

Quote"

Dear all,

As far as I know the situation seemed to be under control and botulism experts (and antiserum) were on the way to Taiwan (should be there by now). Taiwan is quite an efficient and advanced society so there is no reason for
us to get panic over this tragedy, particularly we do not live in Taiwan and have not got first-handed information. It is too early for us outsiders to comment on this incident for the time being.

I believe the Council of Agriculture of Taiwan is in charge of the whole rescue project. I hope the NGOs and researchers in Taiwan could cooperate well with the COA, and we would like to let our friends in Taiwan know that we will do our best to help should they have any request.

Tainan was just unlucky that botulism broke out. It may happen in any wetland. I hope when this incident is over there will be a thorough report available for wetland and waterbird managers in Asia. We should learn from this unfortunate incident.

Best wishes,

Simba Chan
Wild Bird Society of Japan

"Unquote

International Black-faced Spoonbill Census: 24-26January 2003
http://www.hkbws.org.hk/waterbird/bfs.html

http://www.hkbws.org.hk/graphic/BFSbanner.gif