Its strongest when they are interacting or otherwise excited. At Paignton the fact its males only plus the warm interior house means its probably stronger/more noticeable than at other places. If you see a male displaying or a gorilla fight you will often get sudden wafts of it in the air. Of course I like it as its synonymous with Gorillas.
More bad news - lioness, Maliya, has been put to sleep after contracting TB More TB sadness for Devon Zoo | Paignton Zoo
Very bad news. I am sure that everyone who works at Paignton must be upset and worried because no-one knows whether this is the end of problem or not.
I am largely ignorant about bovine TB but I saw on BBC Countryfile the other day that farmers are compensated for animals that have been compulsorily slaughtered and for the costs of testing. Does anyone know whether zoos, since they are treated as farms for TB purposes, receive compensation? Their animals are priceless but they could lose visitors if they have empty mammal enclosures for months on end. And it doesn't seem fair for a charity to have to spend money on TB testing and, in Paignton's case, vaccinating the local badger population. I read that TB is spread from badgers to other animals either directly via close contact or indirectly via environmental contamination eg from infected sputum, faeces etc. So I can understand how the lechwe herd became infected but struggle to see how the cats are succumbing. Their enclosures must be the most secure in the zoo - if they can't get out then nothing can get in - and they are locked in at night when badgers would be around
It can be as simple as an infected badger coughing infected sputum onto a leaf outside the enclosure. That leaf then blows up against the fence or into the enclosure. Soon after, the lion sniffs the leaf (because it smells of badger) and inhales the infected droplets. The worry is that TB has a long incubation period, meaning that an infected animal can spread the disease to other animals nearby (i.e. the other lions) over several weeks before it begins to show clinical signs of infection in itself. Although this is unlikely to happen if they are tested regularly. I don't know if lions can be vaccinated against TB, but if they can then I'd like to think the zoo would have vaccinated the lions and other susceptible animals in order to pre-empt infection. If so then perhaps they got to Maliya too late .
Yes, that's a perfectly possible method of transmission I'd say. But in the case of the Lions, there's a possible alternative source too- via infected meat. Which is it in these Lion cases, from their food or directly from the Badgers? I don't know how they can tell, if the strains of TB are the same for example.
If meat is to blame, then the rest of the lion family and also the tigers could be affected. The consequences don't bear thinking about.
Maliya the Asiatic lioness has been PTS due to TB. Her female cub Arya has been tested TB free twice meanwhile male cub Yali and his dad Lucifer are awaiting for their test results
But infected meat would not be a factor in the lechwe cases. It would be very unfortunate for two sets of animals in the same zoo to contract TB from two different sources within a short time frame, although, not impossible. Even though the disease has only been found in the lechwe and lions at Paignton, and I certainly hope there are no more, I have found the following list of animals in which infection of M. bovis is possible: "buffaloes, bison, sheep, goats, horses, camels, pigs, wild boars, deer, antelopes, dogs, cats, foxes, mink, badgers, ferrets, rats, primates, llamas, kudus, elands, tapirs, elks, elephants, sitatungas, oryxes, addaxes, rhinoceroses, possums, ground squirrels, otters, seals, hares, moles, raccoons, coyotes and several predatory felines including lions, tigers, leopards and lynx." Bovine TB - Cattle, spread, symptoms, treatment However, it is important to note that the source does not say whether all the animals in the above list will succumb to TB or simply act as hosts/carriers for the disease. Nor does it mention the likelihood of them being infected.
This is interesting, I was thinking possibly Birds as i have seen a Tiger catch a Magpie at Paignton, but birds don't appear on that list, so i'm now assuming they don't carry TB I've seen Squirrel and Stoat at Paignton, those along with Rats could easily get into the Lion enclosure.
Paignton's website says that Yoda, the giraffe that died suddenly a month ago, was negative when tested for TB. I presume that the other species have been/are being tested as required by DEFRA.
Yes, it would be a very unfortunate coincidence but I was just raising the issue of whether the Lions got it the same/similar way as the Lechwe, or through meat. And whether the zoo be able to tell ?
I've seen rats and squirrels near the lion enclosure, and stoats elsewhere, so they could be the answer to my question above as being responsible for introducing TB to the lions. It's rather alarming seeing that list and thinking of other mammals in the zoo who could be susceptible, given the proximity of badgers and rodents.
Been today: meerkat enclosure nearly done; nice themed planting & motif work on house! Saw two kingfishers by Gorilla lake. The Geoldis are off show with similar refurb as the Squirrel monkeys have had. Never noticed that the Salty Croc has no teeth before? The Roos / Emu exhibit was all blocked off and so were the cats? Wind I think? Hyacinth macaws have moved to an aviary opposite whilst theirs is refurbed. Looks like more trees have come down on main Orang island.
There a big new set of platforms being erected in steel in the off-show lion enclosure. The off-show tiger run also has work being done although both were pacing in it a lot this afternoon!
Cottage Aviary - the Ruffs have been joined by two birds that could be black-necked stilts, although I'm no expert. I'll put a photo in the Gallery.
They were felled because they were dangerous - not helped by Mali and Tatty doing their best to shake them from their roots I believe there are plans for new climbing frames on both islands but nothing can be done until they dry out again next year.
Mysterious media Christmas card from the zoo: 'Paignton Zoo and the Whitley Wildlife Conservation Trust have been names in conservation for decades, working hard to prevent the extinction of threatened species both in the UK and overseas; but times are changing and so are we. Watch this space for exciting things happening in 2019. We'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for supporting us and our vital conservation efforts and wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!' Name change ahead? The way things are going at the moment maybe 'Paignton Badger Sanctuary and Bird and Reptile Park'?
