Wildlife Conservation Society

www.wcs.org

WCS Field Veterinary Program

The WCS avian influenza team completed their fourth surveillance season in September.  The fourth season focused on former outbreak zones in Khovsgol and Bulgan aimags as well as sites in Arkhangai. Bird captures continued from late June through early September, to coincide with the periods when waterfowl are moulting and shorebirds are migrating through the country. Intensive capture efforts and mortality surveys resulted in the collection of samples from 1,377 waterbirds. These samples will be exported during October to the United States and Hong Kong for laboratory testing supported through the National Institutes of Health’ CEIRS programme. Results will be shared with USAID mission staff and government partners as soon as they are received.

Throughout the summer the team provided regular updates to the USAID Mission and partners at the State Central Veterinary Laboratory, including reports on five suspicious whooper deaths that occurred at a time and place (Erhel Nuur) where previous outbreaks had occurred. Samples collected from one of these birds were submitted to SCVL and have since tested negative for avian influenza. The response to this incident is illustrative of the close working relationship between SCVL and WCS and demonstrates the value in having experienced staff working in the field.

Our understanding of migratory movements are set to receive a significant boost with the placement of over 550 coloured neck collars on swans and geese. In addition, 250 shorebirds were fitted with colored leg flags and over 1,000 birds received individually numbered metal leg bands. These marking techniques provide the means of identifying individual birds with resightings and recaptures, providing valuable insights into the migratory movements and life histories of Mongolian species. This effort expands upon the success of a pilot marking scheme trialed by the team in 2007 which generated an unprecedented amount of information with observers from China reporting sightings of 21 of 30 neck collared swans marked last year.