Photo : Benjamin Jakobek, résident vétérinaire sous la direction de Stéphane Lair, présentant une conférence sur les cas d’infections par le protozoaire Toxoplasma gondii chez les bélugas du Saint-Laurent. Les chats domestiques qui ont accès à l’extérieur sans supervision sont vraisemblablement responsables d’une grande partie de la contamination de l’environnement par ce parasite. Du 3 au 5 mai dernier se tenait le Symposium béluga 2023 à Montréal. Ce symposium réunissait les principaux chercheurs travaillant sur différents aspects de la conservation des bélugas de l’estuaire du Saint-Laure ..read more

Photo: Benjamin Jakobek, veterinary resident under the direction of Stéphane Lair, presenting a lecture on cases of infections by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii in St. Lawrence belugas. Domestic cats that have access to the outdoors unsupervised are likely responsible for much of the contamination of the environment by this parasite. From May 3 to 5, the Beluga Symposium 2023 was held in Montreal. This symposium brought together leading researchers working on different aspects of the conservation of belugas in the St. Lawrence Estuary, a population threatened with extinction. The CWHC-Quebe ..read more

Elder Sarah Stewart-Jackson performing a traditional song. Photo by: Scott McBurney The Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative (CWHC), Atlantic Region partnered with the Native Council of Prince Edward Island (NCPEI) to host a bat acoustic monitoring workshop specifically designed for Indigenous groups from the Canadian Maritime provinces. STEAM PEI provided an excellent space to accommodate the workshop, located in the Epekwitk Assembly of Councils Building in Charlottetown, PEI. Seven dedicated participants from four different Indigenous organizations representing all three Maritime province ..read more

Les mammifères marins, comme la plupart des animaux sauvages, sont très fréquemment infectés par des parasites. Lors de l’investigation d’une mortalité chez un mammifère marin, le pathologiste doit bien évaluer l’impact potentiel (ou non) d’une infection parasitaire sur la santé de l’animal. Dans la grande majorité des cas, ces parasitoses ne sont pas associées à des mortalités. En effet, bien que ces parasites représentent un certain coût physiologique pour l’hôte, celui-ci arrive habituellement à s’accommoder de la présence de ces organismes. Dans la grande majorité des cas, il existe un équ ..read more

Marine mammals, like most wild animals, are frequently infected with parasites. When investigating mortality in a marine mammal, the pathologist must carefully evaluate the potential impact of a parasitic infection on the animal’s health. In the vast majority of cases, these parasitic infections are not associated with mortality. While these parasites represent a physiological cost to the host, the host usually manages to accommodate the presence of these organisms. In most cases, there is a host-parasite balance, as the survival and transmission of the parasite usually depend on the host’s su ..read more

Photo: Karine Béland working in a project on narwhale ecology (Baffin Island, Nunavut). We are pleased to announce that Karine Béland, who did her residency program at the Faculté de médecine vétérinaire de l’Université de Montréal, has successfully completed the certification exam of the American College of Zoological Medicine. This college certifies specialists in the field of zoological medicine and wildlife health. During her residency Karine had the opportunity to work for the Quebec Regional Centre. Congratulations to Karine! Stéphane Lair ..read more

Do you spend time on Canada’s rivers, lakes, and coasts? Do you care about the health of fish in Canada? Use our Fish Health Tracker Tool today! What is The Fish Health Tracker? The Fish Health Tracker is a new tool that allows you to record observations on fish health quickly and easily, either in real-time using an app on your mobile phone or online when you get back to shore using the desktop app. Any observations can be reported, including healthy fish, fish that look abnormal or that are acting unusual, the presence of invasive aquatic species, or fish impacted by environmental issues suc ..read more

Oie des neiges juvénile infectée par le virus de l’influenza aviaire hautement pathogène H5N1. L’oiseau est apathique, facile à approcher et a les yeux mi-clos. Une carcasse d’oie des neiges adulte est aussi présente. À la fin du mois de novembre, plus d’une cinquantaine de carcasses d’oies des neiges ont été observées sur les rives de la rivière Richelieu, à Saint-Jean-sur-le-Richelieu, Québec. Plusieurs oiseaux encore vivants présentant des signes neurologiques (yeux mi-clos, tremblements de la tête et mouvements anormaux et/ou répétitifs, jusqu’à décubitus complet) ont aussi été observés ..read more

With all the news about avian influenza over the past few months, it is sometimes easy to forget that our local wildlife are dealing with other challenges on a daily basis. Unfortunately, one of these challenges comes in the form of a poison that we are utilizing to control other wildlife. In our previous blog reports, we discussed the use of anticoagulant rodenticides and how they are being detected in multiple raptor species (http://blog.healthywildlife.ca/raptors-and-rodenticides/). In addition to detecting these rodenticides in birds, we also occasionally examine predators who have died as ..read more

Filling the majority of the abdomen and displacing the organs is a multilobulated mass composed of innumerable 2-3 mm diameter cysts. In October of 2022, an eastern chipmunk from Port Perry was brought to a local wildlife rehabilitation centre. The small animal appeared to be in pain and had an enlarged and abnormal mass in its abdomen. The wildlife rehabilitator opted to humanely euthanize the chipmunk and send the carcass to CWHC, strongly suspecting an Echinococcus multilocularis infection. Upon gross examination by our pathologist, changes consistent with an E. multilocularis infection w ..read more