Presentation by Wildlife Health Victoria: Surveillance – 12 October 2018

Posted on 3 October, 2018 by Tanya Loos

Our friends at the Castlemaine Field Naturalists Club have invited another very interesting guest speaker to speak at their monthly meeting. October’s talk will be presented by Pam Whiteley, from Wildlife Health Victoria: Surveillance, which is hosted by the University of Melbourne.

Pam Whiteley is head of this very important initiative. Wildlife Health Victoria: Surveillance is a portal and conduit for landholders, wildlife carers and the community to report incidents and provide data on dead and dying wildlife. The Wildlife Health Victoria: Surveillance website is well worth a look and can be viewed here.

A very dead Musk Lorikeet was supplied as an illustration but I thought readers might enjoy this photo by Geoff Park of a very healthy individual!

Diseases of interest are many and varied. Some examples include the chytrid fungus that has devastated some frog species, and psittacine (beak and feather) circoviral disease in parrots and cockatoos, which is listed as a key threatening process for threatened parrots.

Pam has provided the following short bio:

With colleagues at the Melbourne Veterinary School of The University of Melbourne, Pam Whiteley established Wildlife Health Victoria: Surveillance (WHV: S) in 2008. Pam has worked in mixed vet practice, was the first Vet then Vet/Curator at Healesville Sanctuary, then worked at the US National Wildlife Health Center in Wisconsin, CSIRO Australian Animal Health Lab in Geelong and at the Victorian vet diagnostic lab. She is an active member of the Wildlife Disease Association and WHV: S was re-elected to Wildlife Health Australia’s Management Committee.

The meeting is on Friday 12 October 2018 and will commence at 7.30 pm at the Fellowship Room behind the Uniting Church on Lyttleton St, Castlemaine VIC (next door to the Castlemaine Art Museum). Everyone is welcome to attend and their is no cost for entry.

On the following day (Saturday 13 October) there will also be a club excursion to Porcupine Ridge to view spring wildflowers. The excursion will be led by Geraldine and Richard. As usual, it will depart at 1.30 pm sharp from the car park outside the U3A building on Duke St, Castlemaine (also known as the Octopus building – located opposite the Castle Motel). Bring along afternoon tea. Car pooling is likely to be available.

Please get in touch with the CFNC if you have any questions.