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In the News

David reviewing chain of custody forms for our waterfowl contaminant research project.

Blog

As a former undergraduate researcher and now postgraduate research technician with the Cornell Wildlife Health Lab, I have mostly worked on a study of environmental contaminants in hunter-harvested waterfowl....
Melissa Fadden performing a rattlesnake necropsy.

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My role within the lab is a complex balancing act of time management, project and sample organization, and managing our case data stream. I guide incoming diagnostic case submissions, manage research project samples and submissions, and help facilitate educational activities like wet labs and symposiums....
Eastern box turtle

For Your Information

Most people value wildlife encounters, and there’s a fascination that comes from a taxa so vastly different than our own. But, many species of reptiles and amphibians are declining in the wild, facing threats such as habitat loss, unscrupulous collection, and disease. Therefore, great care must be taken to ensure that we do not negatively impact that which we love.
A Timber rattlesnake shown on a rocky substrate

Blog

Snake Fungal Disease (SFD) is caused by the fungus Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola and it poses a significant threat to wild snakes in the eastern United States. First discovered in 2006 in a declining New Hampshire population of timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus), SFD has now been recorded in over a dozen species.
A juvenile bald eagle shown on an exam table for a necropsy to begin

What do you call the post-mortem examination of an animal? The appropriate term is “necropsy,” derived from necro (“death”)….
Grass snake

Biologists have discovered that snake fungal disease has the potential to infect any type of snake. If the disease spreads, it could pose a global threat to ecosystems.