The negative impact of sport fishing on aquatic reptile populations is something not often considered, nor can we put an estimate on the number of freshwater turtles that die of entanglement in discarded fishing line or as a result of an ingested fishhook left untreated. The sad part is that this type of suffering is preventable
ABSTRACT: An adult male snapping turtle with marked palpebral edema and multifocal skin ulceration was found alive in a marsh in southern Ontario in summer 2017. The turtle was transported to a rehabilitation facility and died 4 d after arrival. The carcass was submitted to the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative for post-mortem examination. Gross lesions included ulcerative conjunctivitis, necrotizing stomatitis, and splenomegaly. Microscopically, this corresponded to multisystemic fibrinonecrotizing vasculitis and severe fibrinous splenic necrosis.
The 2021 discovery of a divergent lineage (B.1.641) of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Ontario raised concerns that deer were a potential reservoir. To assess whether B.1.641 was still circulating in deer and to test for cross-species spillover, we established a surveillance program in Ontario by sampling wildlife via existing ecological projects and through active surveillance of captive and wild animals. Between 2022 and 2024, we tested 2839 animals, identifying one active SARS-CoV-2 infection in a deer (likely a spillover event involving a recombinant XBB.2.3.11.3 lineage), but no cases of B.1.641. Overall, 93 wild animals (6.8%) tested positive for antibodies, including 89 white-tailed deer, two Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana), one American mink (Neogale vison), and one river otter (Lontra canadensis). In southwestern Ontario, where B.1.641 was originally detected, 15.2% of deer samples were seropositive.