Anthrax among Canadian Bison
Our recently-joined member, Dallas New, is a Canadian veterinary epidemiologist and last evening she enthralled us with her study of anthrax among bison.
Firstly, she told us something of the history of epidemiology, which began when Dr John Snow found the cause of a cholera outbreak in London.
Then she explained how bison had recovered from near-extinction in North America, and why anthrax is threatening them. All mammals are vulnerable to anthrax, but cattle and bison are particularly intolerant to it.
Anthrax spores move around, but lodge and persist in the soil. For this reason, dead bison have to be cremated rather carefully so as not to release more spores into the ground. This is quite a challenge as bison are huge and fuel has to be brought to the site by helicopter.
Dallas collected data in the Northwest Territories to find out why outbreaks of anthrax poisoning occur in bison populations.
There were three hypothetical causes: spores could be incubating, especially in hot weather and then bursting out; anthrax could be concentrating in bison ‘wallows’; or bison may always carry anthrax but sometimes have low resistance to it.
Many research projects have inconclusive results and this was one of them. It seems likely that outbreaks occur because of all three factors.
Anyway, Dallas clearly enjoyed her spell in the Canadian wilderness and earned a Master’s degree.
Poll: Should all neighbours have to contribute to improvements?
An Auckland court has ruled a woman doesn’t have to contribute towards the cost of fixing a driveway she shares with 10 neighbours.
When thinking about fences, driveways or tree felling, for example, do you think all neighbours should have to pay if the improvements directly benefit them?
-
82.6% Yes
-
14.7% No
-
2.7% Other - I'll share below
Live Q&A: Garden maintenance with Crewcut
This Wednesday, we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with John Bracewell from Crewcut.
John Bracewell, former Black Caps coach turned Franchisee Development Manager and currently the face of Crewcut’s #Movember campaign, knows a thing or two about keeping the grass looking sharp—whether it’s on a cricket pitch or in your backyard!
As a seasoned Crewcut franchisee, John is excited to answer your lawn and gardening questions. After years of perfecting the greens on the field, he's ready to share tips on how to knock your garden out of the park. Let's just say he’s as passionate about lush lawns as he is about a good game of cricket!
John is happy to answer questions about lawn mowing, tree/hedge trimming, tidying your garden, ride on mowing, you name it! He'll be online on Wednesday, 27th of November to answer them all.
Share your question below now ⬇️
Riddle Alert! Who’s Up for Some Brain-Busting Fun?
4-letter word, always done tomorrow,
We’re out of tea, the ultimate sorrow!
Without the eye, you owe me some money,
No sugar no nectar no sweetness no honey,
4-letter word, if by chance you choose,
You can never win, you can only lose!
What is the 4-letter word?
Do you think you know the answer to our daily riddle? Don't spoil it for your neighbours! Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm.
Want to stop seeing riddles in your newsfeed?
Head here and hover on the Following button on the top right of the page (and it will show Unfollow) and then click it. If it is giving you the option to Follow, then you've successfully unfollowed the Riddles page.
Loading…
