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www.rspca.org.uksciencegroupwildlifeSciencegroupreviewof201225Between2005and2011thefourRSPCAwildlifecentreshaveadmittedatotalof900commonbuzzardsButeobuteointocare.Thenationaltrendforthespeciesisoneofrapidpopulationincreaseandrangeexpansion1.Thereforeinthefuturewearelikelytoseemoreandmorecommonbuzzardsadmittedintowildliferehabilitationcentres.Thishighlightstheimportanceofassessingthesuccessofourrehabilitationtechniquesthroughpost-releasemonitoring.whichthespeciescouldnotbedetermined.Thereweretwoapparentseasonalpeaksinincidencepredominantlyadultharboursealswerediscoveredduringthesummerandjuvenilegreysealsduringthewinter.Post-mortemexaminationsof20harboursealsrevealedtheyhadbeenaliveandhealthywhentheinjuriesweresustainedwithnoevidenceofanyunderlyingdiseaseordisability.Basedonthepathologicalfindingsitwasconcludedthatmortalitywascausedbyasuddentraumaticeventinvolvingastrongrotationalshearingforce.Theinjurieswereconsistentwiththeanimalsbeingdrawnthroughtheductedpropellersofmarinevesselsandinsomecasestherewasadirectcorrelationwiththepresenceofworkboatsoperatinginthevicinity.ThisBetweenJune2008andDecember201076deadpinnipedswerefoundonthecoastoftheUKwithpeculiarinjuriesconsistingofasinglecontinuouscurvilinearskinlacerationspirallingdownthebody.Theskinandblubberhadbeenshearedfromtheunderlyingfasciaandinmanycasesthescapulaalsohadbeenavulsedfromthethoracicwall.AlthoughpreviouslyunreportedintheUKsimilardistinctivelesionshadbeendescribedinCanadianpinnipedswheretheywerereferredtoascorkscrewinjuries.IntheUKidenticalinjurieswereseeninbothnativespeciesofpinnipedwith43harboursealsPhocavitulina57percentand26greysealsHalichoerusgrypus34percentaffectedandsevencarcasses9percentforchallengestheconclusionsofapreviousstudyinCanadathatsuggestednaturalpredationbyGreenlandsharksSomniosusmicrocephaluswaslikelytoberesponsiblefortheseinjuries.TEXTTAKENFROMABSTRACT-PAPERPUBLISHED2012BextonS.ThompsonD.BrownlowA.BarleyJ.MilneR.andBidewellC.2012UnusualMortalityofPinnipedsintheUnitedKingdomAssociatedwithHelicalCorkscrewInjuriesofAnthropogenicOrigin.AquaticMammals383229-240.PinnipedscomprisesthefamiliesofOtariidaesealionsOdobenidaewalrusandPhocidaesealstogetherwiththeirimmediateancestors.AllabyM.2003OxfordDictionaryofZoologyreissuep413.Harboursealalsoknownasthecommonseal.Since2006RSPCAWestHatchandRSPCAMallydamsWoodhavefittedatotalof16commonbuzzardswithradiotagsinitiallyusingtailmounttagswhicharefittedtothebirdscentraltailfeatherbutthenmovingontolegmounttagswhicharefittedaroundthetarsusofthebird.Thisswitchinattachmenttechniquewasinresponsetopoortagretentionexperiencedwithtailmountedbirds.Thetagshaveabatterylifeofapproximately7.5monthsandtheaimoftheprojecthasbeentotrackindividualsforaslongaspossibletoexaminetheirpost-releasesurvivalanddispersal.Nineofthe16birdshavebeentrackedbyRSPCAMallydamsWoodofthesebirdstwodiedtwoshedtheirtagsandonewascaughtinaLarsontrapandlostitstag.Twoofthebirdssurvivedthedurationoftheradiotagsbatterylifewithbothbeingtrackedforover200days.Thefinaltwobirdsarestillbeingtrackedbuthavebothbeenoutforover100days.Thetaggedbirdshavebeenobserveddisplayingnaturalbehavioursforagingonwormsandinteractingwithconspecifics.Theprojectisongoingandwillbewrittenupin2013.REFERENCE1.BaillieS.R.MarchantJ.H.LeechD.I.RenwickA.R.EglingtonS.M.JoysA.C.NobleD.G.BarimoreC.ConwayG.J.DownieI.S.RiselyK.RobinsonR.A.2012.BirdTrends2011.BTOResearchReportNo.609.BTOThetford.httpwww.bto.orgbirdtrendsRSPCAMALLYDAMSWOODWILDLIFECENTREPost-releasemonitoringofcommonbuzzardsRSPCARSPCAwildlifecentresreviewTheRSPCAwildlifecentresatEastWinchMallydamsWoodStapeleyGrangeandWestHatchcontinuetostriveforabetterunderstandingofthecasualtiesintheircare.Numerousresearchprojectsareundertakentoinvestigatepost-releasesurvivalinrehabilitatedspecies.Techniquessuchasradio-trackingareusedaswellassimplermethodssuchasmarkinge.g.ringingbirdsandrelyingonre-sightingsforinformationonhowlongtheseanimalssurviveandhowfartheyhavetravelled.Someofthisworkiscarriedoutinconjunctionwiththewildlifedepartmentandhasbeenpromotedwidelyatvariousconferencesandsymposia.Inadditionthewildlifedepartmentandcentrescontinuetodevelopspeciesrehabilitationprotocolsbasedonbestpracticeandsoundscience.RSPCAEASTWINCHWILDLIFECENTREUnusualpinnipedmortalitiesassociatedwithcorkscrewinjuriesofanthropogenicorigin