NWRC research relating to diagnostic metliods 

 development, environmental decontamination, and 

 vaccine development for prions responsible for 

 chronic wasting disease. The delegation v\/as also 

 interested in NWRC research relating to development 

 of Al diagnostic methods for environmental samples 

 and models for spatial sampling. 



Earlier in February 2007, NWRC scientists hosted 

 Mr. He Yubang, Deputy Director of the Qinghai 

 Lake Nature Reserve in China. The reserve is a key 

 migratory-bird nesting area and receives between 

 60,000 and 100,000 birds between the months of 

 March and October each year. In May 2005, 6,000 

 birds at the lake died of H5N1 Al — the same strain 

 of bird flu that was found in birds as far away as 

 Russia, Turkey, and several other Western European 

 countries. Mr. He visited NWRC to learn more 

 about surveillance and monitoring of animals and 

 wildlife diseases. He received an overview of NWRC 

 research and later met with bird and wildlife-disease 

 research scientists, who discussed bird research 

 activities and NWRC's Al surveillance program. 



In July 2007, NWRC Wildlife Disease Research 

 Program scientists hosted Dr. Ma Gulping, Director 

 of the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) 

 Test Laboratory and Technical Center, Beijing, 

 China. Dr. Ma is a scientific advisor to the Chinese 

 government on animal disease prevention and 

 control. Dr. Ma visited NWRC to learn more about 

 the Center's research on CWD, how he could use 

 the Center's findings to prevent CWD introduction 

 into China, and how NWRC's work could be 

 useful to him as related to BSE. NWRC scientists 

 discussed several of their studies with Dr. Ma and 

 highlighted the capabilities of our facilities. 



Collaboration in Australia To Evaluate Mark- 

 Recapture Population Estimation — Mark- 

 recapture is the most common method in 

 wildlife research and management for estimating 



abundance of small-mammal populations. As part 

 of an ongoing collaboration on mark-recapture 

 estimation, government researchers with Australia's 

 Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research 

 Organisation (CSIRO) visited NWRC in November 

 2006 to discuss mark-recapture results from 

 an intensive, multiyear rodent study from Bribie 

 Island, Australia. Mark-recapture requires much 

 consideration in its application and interpretation of 

 its results. 



Collaboration on Indexing Dingoes and Coexisting 

 Species in Queensland, Australia, To Examine 

 Impacts of Baiting Programs — An NWRC 

 scientist is collaborating with a researcher from 

 the Queensland Department of Natural Resources 

 and Mines to calculate passive tracking indices for 

 dingoes and 19 other species from three shires in 

 Queensland. Data have been collected in each of 

 the three shires for 4 years. Passive tracking index 

 values will be assessed for both baited and unbaited 

 areas within each shire before and after baiting 

 programs. The results will help discern the effects 

 the bait programs have on dingo populations, the 

 effects the bait programs have on other species, 

 and the effects the dingo removal has on the other 

 species. 



Scientists Present Al Workshop in Laos — In March 

 2007, WS hosted a 3-day workshop in Vientiane, 

 Laos, on surveillance techniques for the detection 

 of HPAI virus in wild birds. The goal of the 

 workshop was to increase the understanding of Al 

 and help develop a framework for a Laos National 

 Surveillance System for Al in wild birds. In addition 

 to learning capture, handling, and sampling 

 techniques for gathering Al samples in wild birds, 

 participants were trained in laboratory diagnostics 

 and data management. The workshop was similar 

 to one conducted in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 

 March 2006. 



Providing Wildlife Services 49 



