Effects of Environmentally Relevant Doses of Cyanide on Flight Times in Pigeons, Columba livia

Brasel, Jeffrey M.; Cooper, Robert C.; Pritsos, Chris A.

doi:10.1007/s00128-006-0908-z

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…No birds, besides the brown‐throated martin, were actually seen to be drinking water, and the method of feeding exhibited by the other birds, namely, picking insects up off the water surface on the lee shoreline, would indicate that very little of the water from the TSF is actually ingested by birds. This factor, when combined with the fact that animals can ingest and metabolize small amounts of cyanide over a period of time (Brasel et al. , 2006), may explain why none of the birds on the TSF appeared to show any symptoms of cyanide toxicosis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The chances of finding any carcasses nearby would be reduced as birds could fly some distance before the cyanide takes effect. Dosing racing pigeons at an equivalent of 50 mg l −1 CN − (using NaCN) in 10 ml of water (1.25 mg kg −1 body mass) and greater (to 2.0 mg kg −1 body mass), reduced flying times significantly over distances of 105 km and greater, but without any obvious cyanide‐linked mortalities (Brasel et al. , 2006).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Regarding wildlife, companies are audited against a maximum of 50 mg l −1 weak‐acid‐dissociable (WAD) cyanide in the liquid or tailings solutions on the TSFs; a level generally assumed to be appropriate for wildlife protection (Donato et al. , 2007; ICMI 2007), although effects in birds at lower levels of exposure have been found (Pritsos & Ma, 1997; Brasel, Cooper & Pritsos, 2006). We could trace no published information on how wildlife interacts with gold mining TSFs in Africa.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Birds associated with a tailings storage facility and surrounding areas from a South African gold mine

Hudson

Bouwman²

2008

African Journal of Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

As part of the 'International Cyanide management code for the manufacture, transport, and use of cyanide in the production of gold', companies voluntarily commit towards keeping the weak-acid-dissociable (WAD) cyanide concentrations in tailings below 50 mg l )1 . Day and nighttime observations were made in winter at the tailings storage facility (TSF) of the Mponeng mine of AngloGold Ashanti, and extensive surveys of the surroundings were made for mortalities. The cyanide levels never exceeded 50 mg l )1 WAD. No dead birds or mammals were found.Twenty-five bird species were recorded in and around the TSF and the associated return water dams (RWDs), with 20 occurring only in the surrounding grasslands or RWDs, and five (four wader species and a sand martin) on the TSF. The wading birds were most likely feeding on dead insects from the pond surface, as they adjusted their locations according to wind direction. Other birds actively avoided the TSF water, suggesting a locally learned behaviour. Whether this avoidance will also hold for migratory birds or natal dispersal of local birds in summer necessitates further investigation. A better understanding of the TSFwildlife interactions would lead to improved measures to reduce environmental risks.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Birds associated with a tailings storage facility and surrounding areas from a South African gold mine

Hudson

Bouwman²

2008

African Journal of Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The treatment was given orally with the dose volume of 1 ml 100 gm −1 BW in the morning (between 09:00 and 10:00 am) to non-fasted rats for 90 days. However, the first two selected doses (0.64 and 1.2 mg kg −1 BW) were considered to be environmentally relevant [50] , [51] . Furthermore, it has been reported that, the dose of 0.5–3.5 mg kg −1 BW is lethal to human beings [52] , [53] , [54] .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) study on cyanide induced biochemical and structural changes in rat sperm

Shivanoor

David

2015

Toxicology Reports

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Recent research in our lab has used the homing pigeon model to evaluate the effects of other environmental contaminants such as cholinesterase-inhibiting pesticides (Brasel et al, 2007;Moye & Pritsos, 2010) and chemicals found in mining waste (i.e. arsenic and cyanide) (Brasel, 2005;Brasel et al, 2006), which were found to compromise the migratory ability of the birds. In this study, adult pigeons were pre-exposed to methylmercury in their water source for two weeks and allowed to breed.…”

Section: Avian Navigation and Homing Pigeonsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Parental and Direct Methylmercury Exposure on Flight Activity in Young Homing Pigeons (Columba livia)

Moye¹,

Perez²,

Pritsos³

2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Mercury is one of the most common metals found in contaminated ecosystems. It occurs naturally, but high levels found in contaminated areas derive from human use practices. Among the most vulnerable species to exposure are birds that live, nest, or feed in or near these contaminated ecosystems. Because of the known neurological effects of mercury on birds, it is hypothesized that effects upon migratory ability would be evident after exposure to low levels of this metal, and effects may be exacerbated in young birds. Difficulties in following mercury exposed birds once they migrate away from contaminated areas have left investigators with insufficient data to establish exposure levels causing injury of migratory species due to migration disruption. Breeding pigeons were exposed to ~1.0 mg/kg/day methylmercury via the drinking water, and first round offspring were trained to home after fledging, while also continually exposed to methylmercury. The young pigeons were released individually for three flights, and flight times were assessed and compared to control young pigeon flight times from 3.5, 9, 21, 53, 65, and 98 air miles as well as two individual flights at ~50 air miles from multiple directions. Results indicate that methylmercury exposed birds exhibit slower flight times than controls during the initial flight, and generally improve on successive flights at each distance and direction. This may suggest orientation impairment and allude to migration disruption in migratory species.

show abstract

Effects of Environmentally Relevant Doses of Cyanide on Flight Times in Pigeons, Columba livia

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

Birds associated with a tailings storage facility and surrounding areas from a South African gold mine

Birds associated with a tailings storage facility and surrounding areas from a South African gold mine

Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) study on cyanide induced biochemical and structural changes in rat sperm

Effects of Parental and Direct Methylmercury Exposure on Flight Activity in Young Homing Pigeons (Columba livia)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About