Page 8 - Eclipse - Autumn 2015

General news
Mass saiga mortality in Kazakhstan
Professor Richard Kock from the RVC has received a grant from the Natural Environment Research Council for the following study: “Saiga antelope mortality in Kazakhstan 2015: emergency investigation of disease outbreak to improve knowledge of drivers”.
Between 10th and 27th May 2015, of cially an estimated 134,000 Saiga antelopes (Saiga tatarica tatarica) died from a per-acute disease event which occurred in up to 14 discrete sites in central Kazakhstan. Two
sub-populations in Kazakhstan in Uralsk and Utsiurt and others in Mongolia and Russia were unaffected by this syndrome. The die-off groups were clustered in aggregations some tens of kilometres apart in 3 sub-sectors about 250 km apart and two smaller aggregations.
This highly unusual event appears to be
a result of a complex interplay between landscape-scale environmental factors and highly virulent pathogen(s), latent in adult animals, but as yet the contributing factors are unknown.
In this study the researchers will analyse materials collected during monitoring of the die-offs and collect additional data from eld expeditions to try to identify the trigger that caused this event.
Troublesome cats receive rst online resource
A new online resource to help veterinary students, practitioners and pet owners better understand and deal with the undesirable behaviour of cats is being launched by WikiVet.
Troublesome feline behaviour can
be a serious problem for cat owners and one that can be a huge source of concern and distress. Owners usually turn to their local vet for help, and in a recent survey of over 800 cat owners by the RVC, 75% said that problem behaviour is a subject that they expected vets to be knowledgeable about.
That is why WikiVet, a collaboration of UK veterinary schools coordinated by the RVC, has teamed up with global
veterinary health company, Ceva Santé Animale, to create a comprehensive online resource solely dedicated to the issue and available to all vets.
It is the rst of its kind and contains over 40 encyclopaedic pages on
the topic of feline behaviour as well as expert videos and an interactive quiz. The pages include information on normal feline behaviour, problem behaviours and how to manage them as well as the importance of a cat’s environment. The resource will be available to all levels of veterinary practitioners from student vets and nurses to senior level surgeons.
Jon Bowen, who leads the Veterinary Behaviour Service at the RVC, is
an expert in feline behaviour and has contributed his knowledge to the resource. He said: “As well as being a trusted source of advice for owners, vets may also have the added challenge of distinguishing feline behaviour problems from medical issues.
“I am thrilled to have been involved in the creation of these new resources which will help to raise awareness and understanding of this complex and previously under-appreciated topic.”
The resource can be found at en.wikivet.net/Feline_Behaviour