Wis. sailor killed at Pearl Harbor to be laid to rest
PORT EDWARDS, Wis. — A Wisconsin sailor who died at Pearl Harbor will be laid to rest more than 75 years after his death.
The sailor was Navy Pharmacist’s Mate 1st Class John Schoonover of Port Edwards, Wis. He was among 429 crewmen who died aboard the USS Oklahoma after Japanese torpedoes capsized the ship Dec. 7, 1941.
Schoonover was 39. He was among the fallen sailors who couldn’t be identified and were buried in a large gravesite in Hawaii.
Schoonover’s son, Robert, of Panama City Beach, Fla., says confirmation of his father’s remains brought him closure.
He says a funeral is being planned for later this month at the Naval Air Station Pensacola.
Monk seal deaths linked to parasite found in cats
HONOLULU — The three monk seals found dead last month were killed by a parasite found in cat feces, officials said.
National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration veterinarians determined that toxoplasmosis caused the deaths of two adult female seals and a female pup that were found dead in the span of a week on Oahu in mid-May, officials said.
Cats are the only known host of the parasite, which reproduces in the animal’s digestive system, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and the state Department of Health. The parasite can infect other species, including humans.
The parasitic disease can create cysts in muscles and organs and can cause inflammation of vital organs. During pregnancy, the toxoplasmosis can cause miscarriages or birth defects.
Feeding feral cats, especially in state parks and coastal areas, increases the chances of the parasite spreading, said Suzanne Case, the DLNR chairwoman.
NOAA officials attributed at least 11 deaths of endangered monk seals to toxoplasmosis infections since 2001.
Rat-sniffing dogs deployed to help protect seabirds
HONOLULU — The state has deployed two rat-sniffing dogs to help remove invasive rodents from a seabird sanctuary on Niihau.
Border terriers Henry and Reese located possible rat burrows last week on Niihau’s north shore, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
The island has been under a restoration project to protect nesting seabirds from the rats, which feed on chicks, eggs and native plants. The rugged island is home to several seabird species considered threatened or near-threatened, including Newell’s shearwater, the black-flooted albatross and the Laysan albatross.
The island also is home to 11 plant species found only in the state.
The state began applying rat bait to eradicate the rodents last summer. Since those efforts, monitoring teams have observed more albatrosses on the island.
The border terriers, which are known for their ability to track rats, were brought in to hunt down the surviving rodents. The dogs sniffed out the rats and their handlers marked the spot for additional eradication efforts and rat bait application.
The dogs trained at the Kaena Point Natural Area Reserve on Oahu, which shares a similar environment, before their deployment.
The department is planning for Henry and Reese to return to the island for more searches.