What to know about avian influenza in dairy cows and the risk to humans
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
Scientists are hopeful that the key to reviving red wolves, which are on the brink of extinction, may lie in the genes of coyotes that have significant red wolf ancestry.
Red wolves once lived throughout the southeastern United States but were declared extinct in the wild in 1980. Today, thanks to the work of conservationists, there are around 20 red wolves in the wild in North Carolina, re-released from the captive populations, and 240 in American zoos and sanctuaries.
Bridgett vonHoldt, a biologist at Princeton University, had heard stories from observers in Texas and Louisiana who noticed that the coyotes in their areas were "different" -- larger and more visually similar to red wolves than a typical coyote. Genetic research published in Science Advances by vonHoldt and her team on June 29 found that many of those coyotes had significant red wolf ancestry, a result of interbreeding between red wolves and coyotes.
"Even though the red wolves went extinct, or so we're told, those genes likely survived in these coyotes that carry that legacy with them," explained Vonholdt to CNN. These "ghost genes" might play a crucial role in preserving the red wolf population.
The research focuses on a population of coyotes in southwestern Louisiana, close to where the last surviving red wolves were identified and moved into captivity in the 1970s.
The team took samples from around 30 coyotes in Louisiana and analyzed their genetics for similarity to red wolves. The "range of red wolf ancestry is anywhere from 30 to 70%," vonHoldt said.
The discovery raises significant questions for conservation policy. Coyotes, far from being endangered, are abundant throughout many parts of North America and are legal to hunt in the United States. But red wolves are protected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Decades of interbreeding have made it difficult to delineate clearly between the two species, as vonHoldt's genetic analysis of the southwestern Louisiana coyotes demonstrates.
"Most people will likely ask: If something has 70% red wolf genetics, is that a red wolf?" said vonHoldt. "I don't have an answer for them. It's a federal designation."
But "if an animal truly does carry 70% of the genes of an endangered animal, it's an endangered animal," she continued. "We would probably benefit from protecting that animal."
"We have to work on what our definition is, where we draw those lines -- it's not easy," she said.
"Coyotes are not an endangered species, but now if we suspect they're carrying a lot of endangered genetics as a legacy, that could be useful to preserve red wolves," vonHoldt added.
Because the population of red wolves is so small, they have faced a genetic bottleneck, vonHoldt told CNN. "The captive red wolf program struggles with a highly related population," she said. "We want to avoid inbreeding, but there's a finite number of animals."
Introducing the "valuable genetic material" from the Louisiana coyotes could boost the "genetic health" of the red wolf population, said vonHoldt. This could be done by releasing red wolves from the captive breeding program into southwestern Louisiana, where they would likely seek out coyotes with significant red wolf ancestry to mate with.
VonHoldt notes that these more experimental conservation tactics require authorities to recognize the "gray area" created by red wolf-coyote interbreeding.
VonHoldt and her team hope to introduce a more comprehensive survey of coyotes in southwestern Louisiana. Rather than trapping and collaring red wolves, they could use scat samples to produce estimates of which areas in Louisiana have coyotes with the highest percentage of red wolf ancestry. This data could be used to secure protections for coyotes in designated areas.
And they plan to monitor the group of coyotes they trapped and collared in Louisiana, seeking to understand whether their behavior is closer to that of coyotes or that of red wolves.
"Even though these animals genetically, in my opinion, seem to be very important, we don't know much else about them," vonHoldt said. "This is our second year doing the study, so we plan to start looking at every aspect of their lives, which goes from spatial landscape use, what they're doing, what they're eating, how big their territory is, how they use the landscape."
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
A Massachusetts man who told police he was exorcising a demon and performing a baptism when he shoved his father's head under water multiple times has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in his death.
American troops will be spending more time training in the Far North, the new commander of Norad says, a strategy that fits 'hand-in-glove' with Canada's renewed focus on Arctic defence.
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
It was evident to the federal government as early as last fall that Loblaw and Walmart might be holdouts to the grocery code of conduct, jeopardizing the project's success.
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.