Applying XGBoost and SHAP to Open Source Data to Identify Key Drivers and Predict Likelihood of Wolf Pair Presence.

Wolves have returned to Germany since 2000. Numbers have grown to 209 territorial pairs in 2021. XGBoost machine learning, combined with SHAP analysis is applied to predict German wolf pair presence in 2022 for 10 × 10 km grid cells.

Surprisingly long body length of the lungworm Parafilaroides gymnurus from common seals of the Dutch North Sea.

Lungworms of the genera Parafilaroides and Otostrongylus are responsible for parasitic bronchopneumonia, the foremost disease of eastern Atlantic common seals (EACS, Phoca vitulina vitulina) in the Dutch North Sea. Recently, there have been increased reports of lungworm cases and observations of unusually long Parafilaroides sp. adults in this location.

Dietetic students' experiences providing meal assistance in long-term care facilities.

Purpose: This qualitative study involved describing the experiences of dietetic students who provided meal help to older adults. Of interest were benefits and challenges, and how training could be enhanced.

Methods: Individual, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine undergraduate dietetic students.

Prevalence of phocine distemper virus specific antibodies: bracing for the next seal epizootic in north-western Europe.

In 1988 and 2002, two major phocine distemper virus (PDV) outbreaks occurred in harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) in north-western European coastal waters, causing the death of tens of thousands seals. Here we investigated whether PDV is still circulating among seals of the Dutch coastal waters and whether seals have protective serum-antibodies against PDV. Therefore seal serum samples, collected from 2002 to 2012, were tested for the presence of PDV-neutralizing antibodies.

Patterns of stranding and mortality in common seals (Phoca vitulina) and grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) in The Netherlands between 1979 and 2008.

Pathological examination of stranded marine mammals provides information on the causes of mortality in their populations. Patterns of stranding and causes of death of dead-stranded seals on the Dutch coast were analyzed over a 30-year period (1979-2008). Stranding data (n=1,286) and post-mortem data (n=379) from common seals (Phoca vitulina) and grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) found dead, or that died before admission to rehabilitation, were obtained from the Seal Rehabilitation and Research Centre database.

A dermal melanoma in a young common seal (Phoca vitulina).

A subcutaneous melanocytic tumor was diagnosed during the rehabilitation period of a stranded 7-mo-old common seal (Phoca vitulina) suffering from parasitic bronchopneumonia. The clinical signs of the seal as well as the histopathology of the tumor are described. This is the first time a melanocytic tumor has been diagnosed in a common seal.

Identification of a Bartonella species in the harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) and in seal lice (Echinophtirius horridus).

To explore whether harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) are exposed to Bartonella spp., 35 seal lice (Echinophtirius horridus) were collected from seven seals, during their rehabilitation period in the Seal Rehabilitation and Research Center at Pieterburen, The Netherlands. Forty-eight spleen samples were collected during necropsies of other harbor seals that died during rehabilitation, or had stranded dead and were brought to the Seal Rehabilitation and Research Center for postmortem investigation.