Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0798.024 2004-2006 November 15, 2006 I oppose Bill 258 in its entirety. The bill devotes 8 pages to the handling of dogs yet sums up all other animals in definitions, as though they are all the same. One size does not fit all. In spite of the great damages done by feral cats there is still no prohibition of feeding them. This Is a problem older than the dog problem and is still not being dealt with; a problem observed and written about by Mark Twain. In a Democratic society there is no room for special treatment of one species, over all others. There is no reason to keep maintaining feral cat communities; quite the contrary there Is every reason to eliminate this. Not only have the feral cats successfully predated Palila chicks to the tune of at least 10% every year for the last 10 years but the Toxoplasmosis which they litter the aina with Is one of the leading factors in the decline and one of the leading factors in limiting the success of reestablishing the Hawaiian Crow. Toxoplasmosis can infect all warm-blooded animals, including an estimated 50 million Americans. People infected with Toxoplasma carry thousands of the parasites, many residing in the brain. No surprise that evidence Is mounting to link toxoplasmosis with schizophrenia in people. We cannot continue to turn a blind eye to this problem. See New York Times, June 20, 2006. Section 4-9, Complaints and Summons, speaks of "...animal control contractor who has been deputized...". Given the lack of the Keeau shelter being able to deal with the feral cat problem next door to them at the dump and given the way "chronic cruelty" is dealt with (see Biafra dog); with such a lack of Standard Operating Procedures why would it be a good idea to deputize animal control officers? I would also add that the BTK (bind, torture, kill) serial killer of last year was a deputized animal control officer. Would there be any background and psychological checks? And again this would increase tax-payer and County liability without proper oversight that the job was actually being done right. Thank you for your time and consideration. Halyna Kuheana, P.O. Box 968, Kurtistown, HI 96760 968-8700 C 7f Na. 1Q g .2`~ R0 rr t -NOV 15 200fi Ref. Date A Common Parasite Reveals Its Strongest Asset: Stealth - New York Times Page i of 5 t5he cw Mork Omer ~A'NTER MENOLY FOROAT w SF]NSGREp BY (~Vtr(TIC_ .l, lJune 20, 2006 A Common Parasite Reveals Its Strongest Asset: Stealth By CARL ZIMMER Correetion Appended On paper, Toxoplasma gondii looks as if it ought to be the most famous parasite on earth. This single-celled pathogen infects over half the world's population, including an estimated 50 million Americans. Each of Toxoplasma's victims carries thousands of the parasites, many residing in the brain. As if that were not enough of an accomplishment, Toxoplasma is equally adept at infecting all other warm-blooded animals, as disparate as chickens and kangaroos. Scientists are now discovering some of the secrets of Toxoplasma's success. Researchers in Sweden report that the parasite fans out through the body by manipulating mobile cells that are part of the immune system. Toxoplasma hijacks these so-called dendritic cells and makes them race around the body and ignore commands from other immune cells to commit suicide. The dendritic cells sneak the parasites into the brain and other organs, acting much like a Trojan horse. Strategies like this one have made Toxoplasma incredibly widespread and incredibly obscure. Mention the parasite to most people and chances are you will draw a blank. Pathogens that infect far fewer people, like the Ebola and West Nile viruses, are far more famous. Toxoplasma's obscurity is in fact a great tribute to its powers. "To the parasite's credit, it's incredibly successful," said Dr. Uoyd Kasper of Dartmouth Medical School. "It's adapted itself to be a benign infection." For the vast majority of people, Toxoplasma causes no serious effects. It manages this feat by hijacking our cells and immune system, and establishing a careful harmony between parasite and host. "Once you get infected with Toxoplasma, you're infected for life," Dr. Kasper said. Toxoplasma can, however, cause serious brain damage in those with weak immune systems, like fetuses and adults with AIDS. http:/Iwww.nytimes.com/2006/06/20/science/20toxo.html?ei=5070&en=71bO423407od4... 11/14/2006 A Common Parasite Reveals Its Strongest Asset: Stealth -New Yorx times rage z or Cats play a major role in the parasite's success. They can carry it in their intestines, where they can produce egglike cysts called oocysts. A single infected cat can shed ioo million oocysts in its droppings. The oocysts can survive in the soil for over a year and can contaminate drinking water. Oocysts can infect humans, as well as other mammals and birds. Undercooked pork, chicken and other meat is another route Toxoplasma can take into our bodies. Once Toxoplasma enters a host, it spreads quickly. Within hours it can be detected in the heart and other organs. It is even able to infect the brain, which is protected from most pathogens by a tight barrier. Antonio Barragan and his colleagues at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm were puzzled at first about how Toxoplasma managed this swift journey. "When we looked for parasites in the blood, we found very few that were just swimming around," said Dr. Barragan, an associate professor. But the scientists observed many of the parasites inside immune cells known as dendritic cells. Dr. Barragan was intrigued. Dendritic cells, common in the gut, often come into contact with pathogens. They respond by crawling to the lymph nodes or the spleen, where they communicate with other immune cells. 'Mat led us to think, what if this parasite is directing these cells to move and to disseminate through the body?" Dr. Barragan said. He and his colleagues put dendritic cells in a dish and injected them with Toxoplasma. They noticed that the parasites triggered a peculiar change: the dendritic cells became hyperactive, crawling for an entire day. Next, the scientists observed how Toxoplasma spread through a living animal. They added a firefly gene to the parasites so that they produced a glow. When they injected the parasites into mice, a little of the light escaped from the animals. By putting the mice in a darkened box, Dr. Barragan and his colleagues could track the parasites as they spread. Injecting dendritic cells carrying Toxoplasma spread the parasites to the brain and other organs far faster than injecting Toxoplasma alone. The researchers concluded that Toxoplasma was taking charge of the dendritic cells and riding along with them. Their results are published online in the journal Cellular Microbiology. As Toxoplasma spreads through the body, it invades cells. Unlike other pathogens, Toxoplasma can enter almost every type of cell in the bodies of thousands of host species. The parasite slips http://www. nytimes.com/2006/06/20/science/20toxo.html?ei=5070&en=7lb0423407cd4... 11/14/2006 A Common Parasite Reveals Its Strongest Asset: Stealth -New York rimes rage s or into a cell by latching onto its surface and pulling the membrane over itself. "You can think of it like sticking your finger into a balloon," said Vernon B. Carruthers of the University of Michigan. David Sibley, an associate professor of molecular microbiology at Washington University in St. Louis, said, "it just sits there, and the host doesn't recognize it as a foreign body it should destroy." If Toxoplasma simply spread from cell to cell, it could cause serious harm. But killing its host is not in the parasite's best interests: its goal is to get into its final host, cats, the only creature in which Toxoplasma can reproduce by making oocysts that are shed in feces. And cats do not like eating dead animals. Instead, Toxoplasma has evolved to be extremely contagious, but not very harmful. 'Ms is an organism that has very cleverly worked out a way to go from one host to another," said Alan Sher, chief of the laboratory of Parasitic Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Sher studies how Toxoplasma manipulates its host's immune system. In the early stages of infection, the parasite sets off the production of signaling molecules called cytokines. They cause the immune system to attack Toxoplasma, killing off free-floating parasites. The parasites that happen to be inside cells during the attack somehow recognize what is happening and enter a kind of hibernation. Their host cell turns into a cyst in which they can hide from the immune system. The strong response Toxoplasma provokes from the immune system carries a risk of its own. "These cytokines just get out of control and cause tissue damage," Dr. Sher said. In experiments with mice, this response can be fatal, he said. Toxoplasma steers its hosts away from this danger, Dr. Sher has found. It causes its host to make molecules that rein in the immune system. An infection with Toxoplasma may feel like nothing more than a mild case of the flu, and the symptoms pass once the parasite has snuggled itself away in its cysts. In later years, cysts occasionally break open, but the immune system quickly destroys most of the free parasites. The few survivors invade new cells. "That`s the key of this infection," Dr. Barragan said. "I think this is why this parasite is so tremendously successful worldwide." http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/20/science/20toxo.html?ei=5070&en=71 bO423407cd4... 11/14/2006 A Common Parasite Reveals Its Strongest Asset: steaitn - ivew r orK I Imes ragc -t ut i Toxoplasma becomes a menace when it does not have a healthy immune system to control. Pregnant women infected for the first time by Toxoplasma may pass it to their unborn children. Without a strong immune system to keep the parasite in check, a fetus can suffer massive brain damage. Up to 4,000 children are estimated to staffer toxoplasmosis in the United States each year. Toxoplasma is also dangerous to adults with weakened immune systems. The cause may be AIDS or immune-suppressing drugs given to people who receive orggq transplants. A quiet Toxoplasma infection can suddenly explode. For decades, most scientists believed that people with healthy immune systems had no effects from Toxoplasma. But some studies in recent years have hinted that the parasite can exert surprising effects on behavior, at least in animals. In 2000, British scientists demonstrated that rats infected with Toxoplasma lost their fear of cats. They proposed that this strategy increased the parasite's chances of getting into its final host. Scientists at Stanford University recently followed up on these experiments, studying rats and mice. "They actually show a mild attraction to the cat odor," said Ajai Vyas, a Stanford neurobiologist. "It's not just the loss of an old behavior. A new behavior is being induced." Dr. Vyas and his colleagues found that Toxoplasma's effects were precisely aimed at cat odor. The rats were still afraid of dog odor but not of rabbit odor. They could also acquire new fearful responses. "Only the innate fear to the cat was different, which was very surprising," he said. "We don't really know how fear of a cat is hard-wired in the brain." How Toxoplasma incites this change is a mystery. It is possible that the parasite alters the production of certain neurotransmitters. "But I don't know how some global change could have such a specific effect," Dr. Vyas said. He reported his results in May at the annual meeting of the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society. Some scientists suspect Toxoplasma may influence the human brain. Several studies suggest a correlation between Toxoplasma and schizophrenia, but the claims for a connection are not widely accepted. Dr. Robert H. Yolken, the director of the Stanley Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University, and his colleagues reviewed military medical records. They found that soldiers who developed schizophrenia were twice as likely as other soldiers to show signs of Toxoplasma infection in http://www.nyf mes.com/2006/06/20/science/20toxo.hurl?ei=5070&en=7lbO423407cd4... 11/14/2006 A Common Parasite Reveals Its Strongest Asset: Nteattn - ivew Y orK i Mes rttgo J a, blood samples. Toxoplasma's dangers, both proven and potential, are cause for concern, experts say. "It's a substantial public health risk," Dr. Sibley said. Recent studies suggest that Toxoplasma is rare in meat sold in stores in the United States. However, experts still recommend cooking meat thoroughly to kill any parasites. Dr. Milton M. McAllister, a parasitologist at the University of Illinois at Chicago, has called for controlling the spread of Toxoplasma by cats. He notes that oocysts from cats can also infect wildlife. Toxoplasma has even been detected in sea otters, suggesting it can reach the ocean. "It's perfectly safe to keep a cat," he said. "Just keep it inside." Correetion: June 24, 2o06 An article in Science Times on 7Ylesday about the parasite Toxoplasma gondii, which infects a share of the world's population but rarely causes serious illness, referred incorrectly to the educational of liation of Dr. Lloyd H. Kasper, who commented on the parasite. He is a professor at Dartmouth College, not Dartmouth University. Copyright 2006 The New York Times Company Privp Policy Search Corrections XMLJ I Help Contact Us I Workfor Us Site Map http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/20/science/20toxo.html?ei=5070&en=71 bO423407cd4... 11/14/2006 "Biafra" Dog from TMK 3-1-6-16-73 Last time caught and turned over to Humane Society: June 29, 2005 Not first time; had been calling for past month regarding dog on our property regularly. w.. t~ 6•~ +4 Y DIR54bi Dog micro chipped: 11 year old female. Was found to be Infested with worms, with hip displasia and with a sore in her mouth which owners claimed as reason she did not eat too much in spite of my having called about this dog rummaging through our garage on a nightly basis, looking for food, for the past month. Dog had been allowed to roam free for at least 2 years and was bred every heat. Ultimately I found the dog had been put to sleep. When asked if cruelty charges were filled was told Prosecuting Attorney said not enough evidence. What is enough evidence? Given the number of times I talked to the Humane Society regard- ing this animal and the final outcome I see that chronic cruelty seems to be acceptable. Apparently there is no record keeping or follow up at the Humane Society so this sort of cruelty is OK. T50 U S G S science for a changing world Feral Cats: Too Long a Threat to Hawaiian Wildlife This feral cat was photographed by a remote camera in Hawail Volca- noes National Park (see page 3). _ of endemic forest birds were either greatly reduced in number or became extinct between 1870 and 1930. One of the earli- est naturalists to implicate feral cats as a causal factor in these losses was R.C.L. Perkins, who wrote in 1903: r, On Lanai, in walking up a single ravine, I counted the re- mains of no less than twenty-two native birds killed by cats, and these must all have been destroyed within two days, as previously the whole gulch had been washed out by a heavy flood. Two cats were actually shot on this occasion as they were devouring their prey, and several others seen, but, owing to the fact that they are extremely shy and mostly nocturnal in habits, few people who have not lived much in the woods have any idea of their numbers. In Hawaii today, cats range from relatively high densi- Background ties near sea level where abandoned pets are frequently fed by Domestic cats (Felis catus) were first brought to Hawaii well-meaning animal-lovers, to sparse isolated populations in aboard sailing ships of European explorers and colonists. The remote rain forests and even alpine areas on the islands of Maui job of these predators was to control mice and rats on the ships and Hawaii. Cats kill songbirds, which nest, feed, and roost in during the long voyages. As in other places, cats were taken in trees, and ground nesting birds, such as quail and other intro- and adopted by the families of Hawaii and soon became house- duced game birds. Native sea birds and other species that nest hold pets known as popoki. But cats have always been very well on the ground or in burrows are particularly vulnerable to preda- equipped to live and hunt on their own. On tropical archipelagos tion by cats. For example, endangered 'ua'u (Hawaiian Petrel; like the Hawaiian Islands where no other predatory mammals of Pterodroma sandwichensis) are particularly vulnerable because comparable size existed, abundant and naive prey were particu- they raise their single chicks in lava crevices and nestlings can- lady easy game, and cats soon thrived in the wild. not fly for more than 15 weeks after hatching. Adult 'ua `u are Although the details of when cats first came to live in the also often killed by cats, causing serious population declines wild remain little known, adventurers, writers, and naturalists because it takes each bird five to six years to reach of the day recorded some important observations, Feral cats were observed in remote wilderness around Kilauea volcano on Hawaii Island as early as 1840 by explorer William Brack- enridge. Mark Twain was so impressed by the great abundance of cats when he visited Honolulu in 1866 that he reported his observations in the Sacramento Union newspaper, which were later reprinted in his book Roughing it. I saw... tame cats, wild cats, singed cats, individual cats, groups of cats, platoons of cats, companies ofcats, regiments of cats, armies of cats, multitudes of cats, millions ofcats... Cats Prey on Native Birds in a Variety of Habitats Cats were also common in remote and isolated communities, Left.'Ua'u are rare and endangered long-lived as noted by the famous traveler, Isabella Bird, during her visit to seabirds thatfeed on fish and squid offshore but nest in Waimanu Valley on Hawaii Island in 1873. By that time, a dis- lava crevices at high elevation on volcanoes. (Photo by W. 8anko) Right, turbing but little known phenomenon was beginning to happen This adult'ua'u was killed by a cat high on the slopes of Mauna Loa in to the unique birds of Hawaii. At least 30 species or subspecies Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. (Photo by F. R. Warshauer, USGS) U.S. aeparoneat of the Interior ®rrinred an recycfee oeaer USGSF7p0SIM Jannrv2xs U.S. Geological Surrey The death of adults has very severe consequences for populations of long-lived birds, because their reproductive rates are low and this parental investment in raising young is high. (Photo byJ. Jeffrey) Desrt0 a/e ~nPwa n maturity. Even birds that nest and feed in wds are are - a killed by cats, demonstrating that no bird in any habitat is (Photdhy~g~bycatbeI o n yeweatWhflasim a safe from these stealthy, wide-ranging, introduced predators. en44,-nNPe7l'sa~ocacosa oa~Pa -tyeKa"u Cats Carry and Transmit Diseases to Other Wildlife feral cats nd the ~atki/Is Not only do cats prey on vulnerable endangered birds, but using various tools in. remains, they also carry diseases that may infect endangered birds and cluding remote cameras and telemetry. other wildlife. Cats are the definitive host of a potentially fatal disease called toxoplasmosis. In Hawai'i, toxoplasmosis has Remote Cameras Capture Images of Feral Cats killed native Hawaiian birds such as the critically endangered Surveillance cameras installed at nests of the palila revealed Wald (Corvus hawaiiensis), the endangered nene (Hawaiian that cats reduce palila nest success. Cats mainly kill palila goose; Branta sandvicensis), and even seabirds such as the chicks, although adult females may be killed while sitting on red-footed booby (Sula sula). Because the protozoan organism the nest. Cat kills at nests not being monitored by cameras are that causes toxoplasmosis (Toxoplasma gondii) can complete identified by hair, claw marks, and tracks around the nest. Up an important part of its life cycle in seawater, this disease also to 11% of palila nests are depredated by feral cats each year. poses a threat to marine mammals. Fatal toxoplasmosis was These losses may threaten the survival of the species, which recently confirmed in an endangered Hawaiian monk seal (Mo- lays few eggs each year and takes a long time to develop to nachus schauinslandi), and may possibly threaten other marine adulthood. In contrast, mainland songbirds have much larger mammals in Hawai' i such as the spinner dolphin (Stenella lon- clutches and raise nestlings much more quickly, decreasing girostris). In addition to threatening wildlife, toxoplasmosis is zoonotic and poses a significant health risk to pregnant women. Feral cats are also known to carry bacteria that have killed pueo (Hawaiian Short-eared Owls; Asio flammeus sandwichensis) and alala. USGS Studies Ecology of Feral Cats in Subalpine Hawaii Island Feral cats now live throughout the dry subalpine and alpine shmblands of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa on the island of Hawaii. Being completely isolated from human settlements, these cats live entirely off the land under extreme conditions, enduring freezing temperatures, battling lethal diseases, and relying entirely on hunting wildlife. Although feral cats exist '-rr+ in small numbers in these rugged ecosystems, they can be very damaging to endangered birds, such as the palila (Loxioides bailleui) and the 'ua'u. Understanding how feral cats live, Feral cats are difficult to study because of their nocturnal habits and move, and feed will allow us to formulate better strategies to wariness of people. Infrared-triggered cameras are used to determine protect endangered birds. The USGS has been investigating the presence of cats in the vicinity of endangered birds. d l seolopm ngb entperioid is approximatelytwice as long as thatofr ontilnen• MBOtteKeohavg5`9~s~iad~empa~s tads. P ae es a`dbV arcs etadbbpca nesting birds scv+ . o0 from great distances. In j\j`s pali ge 0%, Ok s ¢nda b ch`cks aopolation addition, several cats may hunt obchep in the same area, exposing birds to threats from a host of different cats over a short period of time. In the case of palfla occupying only about 140 km' (54 mi'), the home range of each male cat represents more than 10% of this area. Cats are most active at night, when birds have settled on their nests and are particularly vulnerable. Diet Stomach contents from feral cats captured at two sites were examined in order to characterize the diet of these introduced predators (Figure 1). Feral cats on Mauna Kea subsist to a great In order to trackthe movements of feral cats in endangered palilaterri- extent on invertebrates and birds, including both songbirds tory, cats were trapped and fitted with radio collars before release back to the wild. D 1 t 4 5 6 7 a e M Km their exposure to predators dramatically. In addition, many Hawaiian birds exhibit little fear of potential predators and often lack avoidance behaviors. Telemetry Radio transmitters were attached to a sample of cats captured on Mauna Kea in order to describe their home ranges, move- ments and activity patterns. On Mauna Kea, some male cats can range up to 20 km2 (8 mil) and this rivals the largest reported home range for a feral cat from ' anywhere in the world. In contrast, the home ranges of three females averaged The home ranges of a male (orange) and a female (blue) feral cat within less than 8 km' (3 miz). the critical habitat of the endangered palila Ired lines) on the West The significance of these Slope of Mauna Kea. The home range of the male was 211 km', and the large home ranges and daily home range of the female was 6.1 km . Smaller shapes inside the home movements is that cats ranges are areas that the cats used more intensively. h ! C 9 y yb. 3rN N~YS:,N a`n" y v... vyv r5`d '!P. •i~ 3 M S F i 1 f n..fi a. ~ iar ek r o [1 i ~k tom. ~~L^P' !.n dt v L rtA~ Wy q a sX ~ ~ f,2 ; dF'~ f Y eY r 3 i s Y -Ad15~a 14. u z~ .u.