Sanibel wildlife threatened by deadly disease
Special to the Reporter
“There is an old saying that goes, ‘for every one thing you miss by not knowing, you will miss ten things by not looking.’
“Well, at CROW, we are looking,” said Dr. Heather Barron, Hospital Director.
A big part of conservation medicine is appreciating the things that sick, wild animals may be trying to tell us. Staying on the cutting edge of wildlife medicine and collaborating with human health officials, local biologists, and environmentalists allows us to best serve the One World, One Health concept.
An excellent example of this is the outbreak of Ranavirus in Florida Box Turtles on Captiva Island this year. Ranaviruses have been called “cold-blooded killers” because they cause illness and death in fish, amphibians, and reptiles.
“This viral disease has rarely been documented in Florida reptiles, but possibly because no one knowledgeable about this disease was looking. When the first turtle with swollen eyelids, plaques in the mouth, and nasal discharge was admitted to CROW, we became immediately suspicious,” Dr. Barron said.
State wildlife veterinarians were immediately alerted and samples were submitted to the Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS), where the diagnosis was confirmed.
Ranavirus typically exists at low prevalence (less than 5 percent of individuals infected in a population), and then rapidly emerge, with mortality often exceeding 90 percent in multiple species. With one in three amphibian species and over 40 percent of turtles at risk of extinction, Ranavirus represents a significant threat to amphibian and reptile ecosystems. Ranaviral disease has been likened to Ebola for amphibians because their bodies swell and hemorrhage. The reasons for Ranavirus emergence at a site vary, but often are related to stressors that can be natural or environmentally caused.
It is essential that we understand the threat of Ranavirus and act quickly to address its spread. Please call the CROW hotline at 472-3644 if you see any turtles or other wildlife that you believe may be ill.