research studies » current studies
Morris Animal Foundation's current studies will give animals longer, healthier lives.
Each year Morris Animal Foundation funds more than 200 health studies to improve the health of dogs, cats, horses, llamas/alpacas and numerous wildlife species. Our support also trains the next generation of veterinary scientists to meet future animal health needs.
Search our current study database by species and/or disease to learn more about the studies we are funding in the areas you care most about. The results will also show you whether a study is available for sponsorship.
Category
D09ZO-019: Distemper in Vulnerable Marine Mammals
principal investigator: Dr. Jonna A.K. Mazet, University of California–Davis
Co-sponsor: Rebecca Moyle and Tyler Lange
needs sponsorship
Current Year: $28,318
Populations of northern sea otters and Steller sea lions in Alaska have declined drastically over the past 30 years. The ice seal population is also being evaluated. Phocine distemper virus has caused massive harbor seal deaths in the Atlantic Ocean, and with MAF-funding the researchers recently identified this virus as the cause of sea otter deaths in Alaska. This was the first confirmation of this virus in marine mammals in the Pacific Ocean. The researchers will further examine the association of this virus with recent and ongoing sea otter deaths and determine the presence of this pathogen in Steller sea lions, harbor seals and ice seals in Alaska. Evaluating the role of distemper in marine mammal deaths is critical because a new outbreak could devastate the recovery efforts of already declining and vulnerable Arctic marine mammals.
