Ian Robertson

Infectious Ovine Keratoconjunctivitis (IOK), Pink Eye, has a significant impact on rejection rates of sheep for live export and thus the feedlot and live export industries in Western Australia. The study aimed to determine the flora and sensitivity to antibiotics of eyes from sheep showing clinical signs of IOK. A diverse range of flora was isolated from eyes of sheep. Of the 352 eyes sampled, up to 37 bacterial species were detected, with the highest number of 28 found in affected eyes (those showing clinical signs of IOK), compared to 23 in unaffected eyes (those showing no clinical signs when the contra-lateral eye was affected), 11 in apparently healthy eyes (rejected sheep showing no signs of IOK in either eye but having mixed with IOK sheep) and 19 species in control sheep eyes (non reject healthy sheep showing no clinical signs of IOK in either eye). In sheep in a pre-export feedlot, the most commonly isolated organism in affected, unaffected and apparently healthy eyes was Moraxella ovis. Mycoplasma species was the second most commonly isolated organism from affected eyes and apparently healthy eyes, and this species was isolated less frequently in unaffected eyes. Mycoplasma spp were isolated at rates of less than 5% in control eyes. Seven treatment regimes were tested. The greatest clinical improvement was obtained when sheep with clinical signs of IOK were treated with long-acting oxytetracycline at a dose of 20mg/kg bodyweight injected into the neck muscle and if clinical signs were still present after 4 days, a second injection at the same dose rate was administered.

Most of the existing sea turtle populations worldwide are in decline. In particular, loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) are listed as endangered and loggerhead nesting populations in Eastern Australia declined by 86% since the 1970s. This study aims to collect critical baseline data regarding health and hatching success of the loggerhead turtle nesting population in Cape Range National Park. Adult nesting turtles were examined and a blood sample taken to establish reference ranges of several blood health parameters and screen for toxin levels. The marked nests were excavated after observed hatchling emergence to establish hatching and emergence success, and collect samples of dead hatchlings and embryos for further histological examination, as well as unhatched eggs for toxin screening. Additionally, all nests were monitored for signs of predation. The research was conducted for two nesting seasons (2006/07 and 2007/08) and initial results show that in Cape Range National Park nest predation is a crucial limiting factor affecting hatching success. Predation by ghost crabs (Ocypode spp), monitor lizards (Varanus giganteus) and feral European red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), considerably reduce survivorship from egg to hatchling. In fact, in the first and second years of this study 78.2% and 83.3% of the monitored nests respectively, showed signs of partial or complete nest predation. It is unlikely that this mainland nesting population can sustain such severe level of predation pressure, especially in conjunction with other anthropogenic causes of decline at foraging sites and during migration to the nesting site (i.e. poaching, fisheries by-catch and pollution), and more studies are recommended to identify successful management strategies to reduce nest predation on this beach. This study takes an important first step towards obtaining crucial information on loggerhead turtle nest ecology and nesting turtle health in this region.