The British Willow Tit Poecile montanus kleinschmidti underwent a decline of 85% between 1970 and 2003. The cause of this decline is unknown. However, several hypotheses have been put forward to account for it: competition from other tit species, predation by Great Spotted Woodpeckers Dendrocopos major and habitat change. In order to test these, woods that are currently occupied by Willow Tits were paired with woods (within 50 km) that had been abandoned by Willow Tits five or more years previously. Point counts for other tit species (potential competitors) and woodpecker species (potential predators) were carried out at ten evenly spaced points throughout each wood. Habitat variables were collected within a 50-m radius of where a Willow Tit was located (in the occupied woods) or where maps showed a Willow Tit had been located (for abandoned woods). No evidence was found for differences in numbers of potential competitor or potential predator species in abandoned and occupied woods. Soil water content was found to be higher at occupied sites. No other habitat features differed between the two categories of site. The drying up of British woods could therefore be implicated in the Willow Tit decline and this warrants further investigation.

A spatial stochastic simulation model was used to assess the potential of fertility control, based on a yet-tobe-developed oral bait-delivered contraceptive directed at females, for the control of bovine tuberculosis in badger populations in south-west England. The contraceptive had a lifelong e¡ect so that females rendered sterile in any particular year remained so for the rest of their lives. The e¤cacy of fertility control alone repeated annually for varying periods of time was compared with a single culling operation and integrated control involving an initial single cull followed by annually repeated fertility control.With fertility control alone, in no instance was the disease eradicated completely while a viable badger population (mean group size of at least one individual) was still maintained. Near eradication of the disease (less than 1% prevalence) combined with the survival of a minimum viable badger population was only achieved under a very limited set of conditions, either with high e¤ciency of control (95%) over a short time period (1^3 years) or a low e¤ciency of control (20%) over an intermediate time period (102 0 years). Under these conditions, it took more than 20 years for the disease to decline to such low levels. A single cull of 80% e¤ciency succeeded in near eradication of the disease (below 1% prevalence) after a period of 6^8 years, while still maintaining a viable badger population. Integrated strategies reduced disease prevalence more rapidly and to lower levels than culling alone, although the mean badger group size following the onset of control was smaller. Under certain integrated strategies, principally where a high initial cull (80%) was followed by fertility control over a short (1^3 year) time period, the disease could be completely eradicated while a viable badger population was maintained. However, even under the most favourable conditions of integrated control, it took on average more than 12 years following the onset of control for the disease to disappear completely from the badger population.These results show that whilst fertility control would not be a successful strategy for the control of bovine tuberculosis in badgers if used alone, it could be e¡ective if used with culling as part of an integrated strategy. This type of integrated strategy is likely to be more e¡ective in terms of disease eradication than a strategy employing culling alone. However, the high cost of developing a suitable fertility control agent, combined with the welfare and conservation implications, are signi¢cant factors which should be taken into account when considering its possible use as a means of controlling bovine tuberculosis in badger populations in the UK.

Twenty-eight horses in southern Mozambique died after exhibiting severe respiratory distress. At necropsy, the overinflated lungs did not collapse, had prominent rib impressions, and were fibrotic and emphysematous. Microscopically, prominent proliferation of nonciliated epithelial (Clara) cells in the terminal bronchioles and pulmonary fibrosis were observed, indicative of chronic pneumotoxicity. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated hyperplasia, desquamation, and apical bulging of Clara cells into the bronchiolar lumen. The outbreak was attributed to ingestion of Crotalaria dura J.M. Wood & M.S. Evans subsp. mozambica Polhill and Crotalaria monteiroi Taub. ex Baker f. var. monteiroi. Semiquantitative gas chromatography–mass spectrometry revealed the presence of pyrrolizidine alkaloids in these 2 Crotalaria species.