School of Veterinary Medicine

Injured Carr Fire Bear Released Back Into Wild After Successful Month-Long Recovery

A young female bear whose paws were badly burned in the Carr Fire was successfully released back to her natural habitat this week.

Seal Die-Off Yet to Reach Cape Shores

Environment/Wildlife

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has opened an investigation into hundreds of seal deaths this summer. Nearly 600 harbor and gray seals stranded on beaches from Maine down to Massachusetts.

Dr. Marcela Uhart Honored as Wildlife Hero

Environment/Wildlife

Congratulations to Dr. Marcela “Marcy” Uhart, director of the Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center’s Latin America Program. She received the Wildlife Disease Association's 2018 Distinguished Service Award.

New Tick Causes Epidemic of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever

Environment/Wildlife

Rocky Mountain spotted fever is already dangerous, and the new carrier is more likely to bite people than the ticks that usually spread it, the team of U.S. and Mexican researchers said.

Wildlife Officials, Vets 'Optimistic' Tilapia Skin Will Heal Bear Cub Severely Burned in California Fire

Environment/Wildlife

A black bear cub that was severely burned when a wildfire roared through her habitat in Northern California is receiving a fishy treatment that officials and veterinarians hope will heal her quickly so she can be released back into the wild.

WILDFIRES: Bear Treated with Fish Skins

Environment/Wildlife

State wildlife officers and a UC Davis veterinarian have again used fish skins and other novel forms of pain management to treat a wild animal: a bear cub injured in the Carr Fire.

Young Bear Rescued in Carr Fire Undergoes Unique Paw Therapy

Environment/Wildlife

A young black bear whose paws were burned raw in the Carr Fire is recuperating with special care from a wildlife veterinary team. On Monday, an eight-member team including Dr. Deana Clifford and Dr. Jamie Peyton of the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital spent nearly six hours preparing for the operation and sewing tilapia skin onto the bear's four paws. One benefit of the fish skin — which doesn't smell fishy — is that it contains collagen that aids in healing.

A Never-Before-Seen Virus Has Been Detected in Myanmar’s Bats

Environment/Wildlife

To prevent the next pandemic, pinpoint it at the source. That’s the idea behind PREDICT, a global surveillance program that has spent almost 10 years hunting for new viruses that could spill over from vulnerable wildlife to humans.

'Kitty Litter' Parasite Is Wiping Out One Of Earth’s Rarest Seals

Environment/Wildlife

In May, two critically endangered Hawaiian monk seals were found dead on a beach on Oahu. Both were female, and one was pregnant. After performing a necropsy, veterinarians determined that both animals died of toxoplasmosis, a potentially fatal disease that originates in domestic cats.

Orcas of the Pacific Northwest Are Starving and Disappearing

Environment/Wildlife

For the last three years, not one calf has been born to the dwindling pods of black-and-white killer whales spouting geysers of mist off the coast in the Pacific Northwest. Their population decline is alarming and may be due to several factors.

Plastic Pollution is a Menace to Birds

Environment/Wildlife

Lost or abandoned fishing line snares vast numbers of wildlife each year—a problem birders and outdoor groups are trying to combat.