Reynolds, M.H., Johnson, K.N., Schvaneveldt, E.R., Dewey, D.L., Uyehara, K.J., Hess, S.C., Berkowitz, P., and Hatfield, J.S., 2021, Kaua‘i Avian Botulism Surveillance Using Detector Canines 2017-2018: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9C4N47X.
Summary
Hawai‘i’s endangered waterbirds have experienced epizootics caused by ingestion of prey that accumulated a botulinum neurotoxin produced by the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium botulinum (avian botulism; Type C). Waterbird carcasses, necrophagous flies, and their larvae initiate and spread avian botulism, a food-borne paralytic disease lethal to waterbirds. Each new carcass has potential to develop toxin-accumulating necrophagous vectors amplifying outbreaks and killing hundreds of endangered birds. Early carcass removal is an effective mitigation strategy for preventing avian intoxication, toxin concentration in necrophagous and secondary food webs, and reducing the magnitude of epizootics. However, rapid detection of carcasses can [...]
Summary
Hawai‘i’s endangered waterbirds have experienced epizootics caused by ingestion of prey that accumulated a botulinum neurotoxin produced by the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium botulinum (avian botulism; Type C). Waterbird carcasses, necrophagous flies, and their larvae initiate and spread avian botulism, a food-borne paralytic disease lethal to waterbirds. Each new carcass has potential to develop toxin-accumulating necrophagous vectors amplifying outbreaks and killing hundreds of endangered birds. Early carcass removal is an effective mitigation strategy for preventing avian intoxication, toxin concentration in necrophagous and secondary food webs, and reducing the magnitude of epizootics. However, rapid detection of carcasses can be problematic and labor intensive. Therefore, we tested a new method using scent detection canines for avian botulism surveillance on the island of Kaua‘i. During operational surveillance and a randomized double-blind field trial, trained detector canines with experienced field handlers improved carcass detection probability, especially in dense vegetation. Detector canines could be combined with conventional surveillance to optimize search strategies for carcass removal and are a useful tool to reduce risks of the initiation and propagation of avian botulism. This dataset is one of the three datasets that make up this data release. This table contains GPS track data for 166 surveillance surveys conducted using either all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), detector canines, or humans on foot.
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Related External Resources
Type: Related Primary Publication
Reynolds, M. H., K. N. Johnson, E. R. Schvaneveldt, D. L. Dewey, K. J. Uyehara, and S. C. Hess. 2021. Efficacy of detection canines for avian botulism surveillance and mitigation. Conservation Science and Practice 3:e397. Available: https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.397
We evaluated the feasibility of training canines to find and alert on avian botulism carcasses. Our objectives were to train dogs and test the efficacy of using detector canines relative to other available surveillance methods. We determined what factors affect detection probability and compared carcass detection among existing (human) search methods and canine-assisted approaches, with particular focus on detecting koloa (Anas wyvilliana). We used metrics of detection efficacy and efficiency but lacked data to directly assess cost effectiveness. Understanding factors affecting surveillance efficiency (time to find carcasses per area) and the relative efficacy (proportion of carcasses found) of various search methods can be applied to optimize carcass surveillance and collection to help mitigate future outbreaks and prevent escalating waterbird mortality, thereby reducing population impacts of avian botulism on endangered waterbirds.
