Determining the Provenance of Traded Wildlife in the Philippines.

The illegal wildlife trade is a significant threat to global biodiversity, often targeting already threatened species. In combating the trade, it is critical to know the provenance of the traded animal or part to facilitate targeted conservation actions, such as education and enforcement. Here, we present and compare two methods, portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) and stable isotope analysis (SIA), to determine both the geographic and source provenance (captive or wild) of traded animals and their parts. Using three critically endangered, frequently illegally traded Philippine species, the Palawan forest turtle (Siebenrockiella leytensis), the Philippine cockatoo (Cacatua haematuropygia), and the Philippine pangolin (Manis culionensisis), we demonstrate that using these methods, we can more accurately assign provenance using pXRF data (x¯ = 83%) than SIA data (x¯ = 47%). Our results indicate that these methods provide a valuable forensic tool that can be used in combating the illegal wildlife trade.

The Australian Shark-Incident Database for quantifying temporal and spatial patterns of shark-human conflict.

We describe the Australian Shark-Incident Database, formerly known as the Australian Shark-Attack File, which contains comprehensive reports of 1,196 shark bites that have occurred in Australia over 231 years (1791-2022). Data were collated by the Taronga Conservation Society Australia using purpose-designed questionnaires provided to shark-bite victims or witnesses, media reports, and information provided by the department responsible for fisheries in each Australian state (including the Northern Territory). The dataset includes provoked and unprovoked bites from fresh, brackish, and marine waters in Australia. Data span 22 suspected shark species. This dataset will be publicly available, and can be used by analysts to decipher environmental, biological, and social patterns of shark bites in Australia. The information will aid scientists, conservationists, authorities, and members of the public to make informed decisions when implementing or selecting mitigation measures.

DISPERSION OF AEROSOLIZED BACTERIA FROM ASIAN ELEPHANTS (ELEPHAS MAXIMUS).

Transmission of tuberculosis typically requires close and prolonged contact with an infected individual. However, several cases of transmission between elephants and from elephants to humans or other animals without direct contact or over long distances have been reported. Elephants have been shown to be capable of producing aerosolized bacterial droplets, suggesting a possible route of transmission that is magnified by the size and force of the elephant respiratory tract. To investigate the dispersion and viability of aerosolized bacteria generated from the elephant respiratory tract, a pre-existing model with a proxy organism was used. A six-stage Andersen sampler was used to detect the proxy organism, a commensal elephant respiratory bacterium, at different locations around an elephant barn at a zoo. The amount of proxy organism detected at various time points and distances from the elephants indicates they are capable of dispersing viable bacterial aerosols further than humans can. The concentration of these aerosols is dependent on proximity to the elephants and does not remain at a high level for prolonged periods of time. These findings support the model of aerosol-mediated transmission of bacteria from elephants and can be used to improve disease management practices and prevent the spread of pathogens from elephants in zoos and other facilities.

Predicting potential future reduction in shark bites on people.

Despite the low chance of a person being bitten by a shark, there are serious associated costs. Electronic deterrents are currently the only types of personal deterrent with empirical evidence of a substantial reduction in the probability of being bitten by a shark. We aimed to predict the number of people who could potentially avoid being bitten by sharks in Australia if they wear personal electronic deterrents. We used the Australian Shark Attack File from 1900 to 2020 to develop sinusoidal time-series models of per capita incidents, and then stochastically projected these to 2066. We predicted that up to 1063 people (range: 185-2118) could potentially avoid being bitten across Australia by 2066 if all people used the devices. Avoiding death and injury of people over the next half-century is of course highly desirable, especially when considering the additional costs associated with the loss of recreational, commercial and tourism revenue potentially in the tens to hundreds of millions of dollars following clusters of shark-bite events.

Novel detection of provenance in the illegal wildlife trade using elemental data.

Despite being the fourth largest criminal market in the world, no forensic tools have been sufficiently developed to accurately determine the legal status of seized animals and their parts. Although legal trading is permissible for farmed or captive-bred animals, many animals are illegally removed from the wild and laundered by masquerading them as captive bred. Here we present high-resolution x-ray fluorescence (XRF) as a non-invasive and cost-effective tool for forensic classification. We tested the efficacy of this technique by using machine learning on a training set of zoo specimens and wild-caught individuals of short-beaked echidnas (Tachyglossus aculeatus), a small insectivorous monotreme in Australia. XRF outperformed stable isotope analysis (δ13C, δ15N), reducing overall classification error below 4%. XRF has the added advantage of providing samples every 200 µm on a single quill, enabling 100% classification accuracy by taking the consensus of votes per quill. This accurate and cost-effective forensic technique could provide a much needed in situ solution for combating the illegal laundering of wildlife, and conversely, assist with certification of legally bred animals.

Hematologic and Biochemical Reference Values of the Australian Bush Rat (Rattus fuscipes).

We provide hematologic (n = 34) and biochemical (n = 30) blood values for wild-caught Australian bush rats (Rattus fuscipes). Hematology values have similar range limits compared with other rat species. Biochemistry values for glucose, alanine transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase, and creatine kinase have higher maximum ranges compared with other rats.