Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 2, 2008 5:47:01 AM CST

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Plague Kills Monkey in Denver Zoo

Posted May 22, 07 1:00 PM CDT in US,  Science & Health 

(Newser) – The bubonic plague has hit the Denver Zoo. An 8-year-old hooded capuchin monkey named Spanky was found dead last week, and postmortem tests confirmed that the cause was plague. The Denver Post reports that the monkey may have contracted the disease, which is usually spread by fleas, by eating the meat of an infected squirrel.

Plague is active in animals in the area around the zoo, officials said, but the risk to human visitors is extremely low. The zoo's 17 surviving capuchins received antibiotics and have been moved indoors at night as a precaution. Plague is common in Colorado, but there hasn't been an outbreak in squirrels in the central city since 1968.

Source Denver Post

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • EU Bans UK Animal Exports

    Aug 6, 07 12:52 PM CDT
    EU Bans UK Animal Exports The EU imposed an indefinite ban today on exports of live animals from Great Britain after an outbreak of foot and mouth disease on a farm in southeast England. The floods that have swamped the English countryside may have played a role in the outbreak, the Guardian reports, and PM Gordon Brown has cut short his vacation to deal with the crisis. More »

  • 'Outbreak' Morphs Into 'Rashomon'

    Jun 2, 07 12:13 PM CDT
    'Outbreak' Morphs Into 'Rashomon' The Atlanta lawyer whose honeymoon baggage included a dangerous strain of TB is at the center of a contentious international public-health dispute. The Times reports on the conflicting accounts of warnings issued to Andrew Speaker and the governments of the countries he visited. Meanwhile, other American passengers on his flights have tested negative for TB. More »

  • West Nile Turns Down Volume on Songbirds

    May 17, 07 1:44 PM CDT
    West Nile Turns Down Volume on Songbirds The West Nile virus is responsible for a major decline in North American bird populations, and the sudden quiet speaks volumes to environmental scientists. Beyond a lack of birdsong, a new National Zoo study reports, the decimation signals far-reaching ecological problems that have emerged since the mosquito-borne virus appeared on the continent in 1999. More »

A Cebus Apella monkey, known as Capuchin monkey, screams at the animal shelter of the National University in Bogota, Colombia, Friday, April 13, 2007. The veterinarians at the shelter care for wounded...   (Associated Press)
Capuchin Monkey   (Getty Images)
KRTS SC-MONKEYTALE 1 MB   (KRT Photos)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Monkeys clean their food too   (TripTucker (YouTube))

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next »
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 1)

Tags

health • animal • disease • outbreak • monkey • plague


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other Home Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »