Research

Funding: Common Wadden Sea Secretariat, 21.010 EUR

Project Details:
Harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) and grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) are the largest animals found in the Wadden Sea in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. Since the seals were placed under the protection of the Trilateral Wadden Sea Agreement and especially since the establishment of the Wadden Sea National Parks in Lower Saxony, Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, the severely depleted populations of seals and grey seals have been able to recover. The unique value of the marine mammals' habitat was confirmed in 2009 when the Wadden Sea was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Seals and grey seals are "charismatic species" and therefore play an important role for recreation and tourism. This is also true for the Wadden Sea National Parks, where marine mammals are popular and serve as a tourist marketing tool.
The marine mammals are promoted as a tourist attraction in various places in the Wadden Sea, especially through organised seal watching trips. They thus represent an important
ecosystem service contributing to value generation for local economies.
These human-wildlife relationships are not without conflict: for example, the overlap of the high tourist season with the seals' whelping and nursing season from mid-June onwards is problematic. While observation cruises carried out by established shipping companies adhere to standards such as minimum distances to the seal banks and navigating at an adapted speed, private pleasure boats, wind and kite surfers are much more difficult to control. At the same time, less national park-specific tourism offers with event character have also increased in recent years. It is possible that this trend will continue due to the increased
domestic tourism demand observed during the Corona crisis. The effects of these different forms of tourism in the Wadden Sea on the stress levels and behaviour of marine mammals have not yet been sufficiently researched. Therefore, these questions will be investigated from an international and multidisciplinary perspective.
Information on behaviour can be obtained through observations and telemetry, and existing data will be analysed in this regard.
On the other hand, the importance of marine mammals for tourism will be investigated from a tourism perspective. The aim of the project is to present a scientifically sound framework that takes into account both the interests of wildlife and nature conservation in terms of minimising disturbance, and at the same time the needs of the tourism sector and the local economy in terms of business in terms of enhancing tourist attractions and developing attractive wildlife and nature experiences.

Cooperation Partners:

Prof. Dr. Julius Arnegger, International Tourism Management, DITF - German Institute for Tourism Research, West Coast University of Applied Sciences, 25746 Heide, Germany

Funding: Nationalparverwaltung "Nieders. Wattenmeer" Wilhelmshaven, 39.080 EUR

Project Details:
The aim of the project is a survey of the local grey seal population in the entire Lower Saxony and Hamburg Wadden Sea during the birthing season (November-December) and at the time of the fur change (March-April).
On five trilaterally coordinated dates (three during the birthing season; two during the fur-change period), airborne surveys will be conducted with a single-engine aircraft. During the aerial surveys of the tidal flats, a high-resolution SLR camera will be used to photograph the haul-outs. In order to determine the number of young born as well as the total population, the photos taken are subsequently analyzed on the computer.

Results:

Schop J., Abel C., Brasseur S., Galatius A., Jeß A., Meise K., Meyer J., van Neer A., Stejskal O., Siebert U., Teilmann J., Thøstesen C. B. (2022) Grey Seal Numbers in the Wadden Sea and on Helgoland in 2021-2022. Common Wadden Sea Secretariat, Wilhelmshaven, Germany.

https://www.waddensea-worldheritage.org/resources/2021-2022-grey-seal-report

Funding: BMBF, 114.582 EUR

Project Details:
Obwohl auf Genomebene in Fledertieren eine Vielzahl von Viren nachgewiesen wurden, gibt es nur eine geringe Zahl, die in Form infektiöser Virusisolate vorliegen. Da der Nachweis von Fledertierviren sehr häufig aus Kotproben erfolgt, sollten differenzierte Darmzellen die Zielzellen vieler dieser Viren sein, weshalb sie für die Isolierung von Fledertierviren aus Kotproben besonders geeignet erscheinen.
Ziel des Projektes ist die Etablierung eines Kultursystems bestehend aus intestinalen Organoiden von Fledermäusen, mit dem es ermöglicht werden soll, Fledermausviren zu isolieren und ihre Vermehrungseigenschaften sowie ihr zoonotisches Potential näher zu charakterisieren.

Results:

https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.03098-22

Funding: QS-Wissenschaftsfonds, vertreten durch Qualität und Sicherheit GmbH, Bonn, 39.000 EUR

Project Details:
Tierwohl und Tiergesundheit haben in den letzten Jahren einen stetig wachsenden Stellenwert auf allen Stufen der Produktionskette von Nutztieren eingenommen. So wird in vielen Bereichen eine zentrale Tiergesundheitsdatenbank gefordert. Zwar ist in verschiedenen Bereichen der Tiergesundheit eine standardisierte Erfas-sung von Daten gesetzlich vorgeschrieben bzw. durch private Unternehmen abge-deckt, jedoch erfolgt bisher keine zentrale und vor allem keine gesamthafte Aus-wertung, die die Wechselwirkungen der Informationen berücksichtigt.
In diesem Projekt werden Daten von Mastschwein haltenden Mitgliedsbetrieben der Qualität und Sicherheit GmbH aus drei Jahren ausgewertet. Dabei werden verschiedene Gesundheitsvariablen aus den Bereichen Antibiotikaeinsatz, Salmo-nellenmonitoring, Schlachtbefunde und Biosicherheit miteinander verknüpft und sowohl deskriptiv als auch in statistischen Modellen ausgewertet, um strukturelle Zusammenhänge und Wechselwirkungen zu erkennen. Der Erkenntnisgewinn kann als Entscheidungsmatrix zur Identifikation von Betrieben genutzt werden, die bei rein kumulativer Betrachtung einzelner Merkmale nicht auffällig sind, aber den-noch eine spezifische Option zur Verbesserung der Tiergesundheit besitzen (z.B. Betriebe mit geringem Antibiotikaeinsatz bei gleichzeitiger gesundheitlicher Problematik).

Funding: COVID 19 Forschungsnetzwerk Niedersachsen COFONI, 48.638 EUR

Project Details:
Early detection of individuals with a SARS-CoV-2 infection remains the most important tool to interrupt the chain of infection. Several studies have already proven canines’ extraordinary olfactory acuity to detect SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals. However, with increasing knowledge about the virus, the variety and chronicity of the disease expression and an increase in the number of people that are vaccinated, some questions have not yet been answered. We will test a variety of hypotheses to further explore the use of detection dogs as a screening method for SARS-CoV-2-infections.

Results:

Dogs can distinguish SARS-CoV-2-infections from other viral infections. However, compared to earlier studies our scent dogs achieved lower diagnostic sensitivities. To deploy COVID-19 detection dogs as a reliable screening method it is therefore mandatory to include a variety of samples from different viral respiratory tract infections in dog training to ensure a successful discrimination process.

https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2021.749588

Cooperation Partners:

Medizinische Hochschule Hannover

Funding: Niedersächsische Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur, 1.225.000 EUR

Project Details:
Auf das Coronavirus trainierte Spürhunde werden in diesem Herbst bei mehreren Musikveranstaltungen eingesetzt und mit Antigen- und rtRT-PCR-Tests verglichen. Dies wird weitere Erkenntnisse darüber liefern, wie Corona-Spürhunde am besten bei der Detektion infizierten Menschen eingesetzt werden können.

Results:

www.backtoculture.de

Cooperation Partners:

Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover,

Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf,

Hannover Concerts,

Proevent,

Awias Aviation Services

Funding: Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur (MWK) Niedersachsen, 127.000 EUR

Project Details:
Basis_SOUVER@N supports the joint project SOUVER@N through accompanying measures. The project aims to strengthen the cooperation of experts and to identify the heterogeneous technical and organizational framework conditions of the universities participating in the SOUVER@N joint project and to promote their compatibility.

Results:

An der Stiftung Tierärztliche Hochschule (TiHo) wurden im Rahmen des Verbundprojektes u.a. technische Voraussetzungen für die digitale Lehre erweitert sowie Dozierende beim digitalen Lehren und Studierende beim digitalen Lernen unterstützt. Anleitungen zur digitalen Lehre und zu digitalen Lerntechnologien wurden neu erstellt oder überarbeitet. Für Studierende wurde ein neues virtuelles Mikroskop für das Selbststudium geschaffen. Lehrveranstaltungsräume wurden mit Technik für die hybride Lehre bzw. für Vorlesungsaufzeichnungen ausgestattet, das Lernmanagementsystem Moodle, welches an der TiHo eingesetzt wird, wurde erweitert.

Cooperation Partners:

1) Universität Osnabrück

2) Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg

3) Leuphana Universität Lüneburg

4) Technische Universität Clausthal

5) Stiftung Universität Hildesheim

6) Universität Vechta

7) Medizinische Hochschule Hannover

8) ELAN e.V.

Funding: QS-Wissenschaftsfonds, 30.000 EUR

Project Details:
The aim of this study is to determine the sound level in pigs' nursery compartments and to detect the effects of animal behaviour and barn technology on the sound level.
In addition, occupational safety will be considered in the study by identifying particular sound events to which both, animals and humans are exposed, and quantifying them with regard to the sound pressure level. The aim is to generate representative data on noise pollution in today's piglet rearing in Germany, to determine the origin of noise pollution and - if necessary - to identify potential for improvement in terms of animal welfare and occupational safety.

Results:

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2024.105410

Project Details:
Frequencies of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae isolates resistant against various antimicrobial substances will be compared in the years 2006-2021. Frequencies of coinfecting agents will be determined.

Results:

doi: 10.3389/fvets.2021.802570

Funding: Projektförderung aus dem Europäischen Landwirtschaftsfonds für die Entwicklung des ländlichen Raums (ANBest-ELER 2021, Europäischen Innovationspartnerschaft "Produktivität und Nachhaltigkeit in der Landwirtschaft" (EIP Agri), 89.794 EUR

Project Details:
Suboptimal availability and quality of drinking water as well as a lack of hygiene in water pipes on pig farms can cause animal welfare and health problems. Insufficient water intake due to technical deficiencies, low palatability due to e.g. biofilm formation in the pipes or a restrictive water supply represent a massive stressor for animals and can lead to health impairments that promote other diseases (e.g. ear and tail injuries, diarrhea).
In this project, a new drinking water pipe cleaning concept for piglet rearing farms will be established and tested for practical use in two rearing barns. The system, developed in a collaborative project and tested under laboratory conditions, will be used to clean water pipes contaminated with plaque, to destroy Salmonella reservoirs in the pipes, and to reduce endotoxin contamination. It is exspected, that ear and tail lesions will be reduced after cleaning the drinking water pipes in case that they are related to endotoxins. After technical, chemical and microbiological analyses, as well as examinations of the piglets, the drinking water pipe cleaning is carried out on the farms. A newly developed mobile flushing device and a new substance containing tartaric acid and catalytic additives are used. The substance is highly effective against biofilms and also destroys the genetic material of pathogens. The effects of this cleaning concept will be measured and evaluated on two farms in three baches respectively.

Cooperation Partners:

Landwirtschaftliche Betriebe

Aumann Hygienetechnik

ConVet GmbH&Co. KG