By Darryn Knobel

Knobel DL, Fooks AR, Brookes M, Randall DA, Williams SD, Argaw K, Shiferaw F, Tallents LA and Laurenson MK (2008). Trapping and vaccination of endangered Ethiopian wolves to control an outbreak of rabies. Journal of Applied Ecology 45: 109–11

This paper describes the trapping and vaccination effort that was undertaken by EWCP to control an outbreak of rabies that occurred in the Bale Mountains National Park wolf population, and reports the results of this intervention. In 2003, the survival of the BMNP wolves was threatened by an outbreak of rabies in the Web Valley subpopulation. With the assistance of the park authorities and the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Department, EWCP instigated a vaccination campaign to contain the virus to the affected area and to protect wolf packs in other parts of the park. Wolves were trapped using soft-catch leg-hold traps and vaccinated with a dog rabies vaccine produced by Intervet. Eighty-four wolves were vaccinated over the course of the intervention. A small sample of wolves were recaptured to test the efficacy of the vaccine: all 19 of these animals were shown to have developed protective levels of antibodies against the virus. The results of this study, together with the predictions of the theoretical model developed by Dan Haydon and colleagues (Nature, 12^th Oct 2006), demonstrate that the intervention was necessary and effective in preventing further spread of the virus and thus contributed to the ongoing survival of this unique species.

# posted by Jorgelina Marino @ 3.9.08