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The mosquito hunterProtecting zoo animals from West Nile, other diseases is his job
 Mosquitoes are big game for Howard Mariotta, who monitors their population at the Los Angeles Zoo. SPECIAL REPORTHEALTH LIBRARYYOUR E-MAIL ALERTS(CNN) -- His enemies number in the billions around the globe and are a swift and elusive opponent. But his job is to seek them out where they live and, in the process, protect a menagerie of exotic animals. He is a mosquito hunter. Howard Mariotta is responsible for monitoring and controlling the mosquito population at the Los Angeles Zoo, part of his job with the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District. "As soon as you turn your back, you'll have mosquitoes breeding," he says. Mariotta has been on the mosquito patrol for 20 years -- the last three including the zoo -- keeping on the lookout for West Nile virus, equine encephalitis or other mosquito-spread viruses that could endanger the animals (or human visitors) at the zoo. (Animals and the West Nile virus) The peak West Nile season, August and September, is his busy season, too. The latest number of U.S. human cases reported to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of August 16, stands at 333, with eight deaths. California's cases make up almost half of those. The state has reported 146 cases and four deaths this year, making it a hot spot for the virus as it marched west across the country. To keep the mosquitoes and potential disease outbreaks under control requires vigilance, Mariotta says. "Basically, I look for any area that I see stagnant pools of water that can breed mosquitoes; for instance, the drain system in the zoo and some of the moats that are in front of the lions and tigers," he says. If mosquitoes are breeding, he takes samples for examination in the lab and drops anti-mosquito pellets into the water to get rid of the larvae. Diseases such as West Nile can have a deep effect on an ecosystem like a zoo. In the past month, for example, great gray owls, parrots, a reindeer fawn and a bald eagle were among West Nile victims at U.S. and Canadian zoos. Researchers first discovered West Nile in North America in 1999, when birds at the Bronx Zoo began dying. Since then, the incidence of West Nile at zoos has mirrored that of the community where they're located, according to Kelly McGrath with Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo. The zoo, along with other institutions, is part of a zoo surveillance network funded by the CDC to track West Nile's impact on zoos and wildlife parks across the country. To help track West Nile and any other mosquito-borne diseases at the Los Angeles Zoo, Mariotta visits twice a month from April to October, using the tools he calls "my eye and my experience" to ferret out any lurking mosquito pools and puddles. Working with the zoo's head animal keeper and other staff to help locate other problem spots, he drops pellets, sprays drains -- or even uses fish. Mariotta explains that in the zoo aviary's pond, he's added mosquito fish to the mix. These fish feed on any mosquito larvae that may be in the water. The pellets and sprays he uses are nontoxic to animals and are aimed at combating mosquitoes, leaving beneficial insects around the zoo alone. In his time as the zoo's mosquito hunter, the animals for the most part have been pretty comfortable with his presence around their homes, he says, except for a curious lion. "The only really reaction I've ever seen is from the female lion. She gets a little excited because when I'm tossing out the pellets on the moat, the pellets hitting the water startles her and she'll stand up and look at me." Despite his twice monthly visits for work -- and an excited lion now and then -- Mariotta says he still likes to visit the zoo as a regular citizen on the weekends, taking his wife and four girls to view the animals. But the smaller creatures of his life's work are never far from mind, whether at the zoo for fun or on vacation. "Last weekend, I was on a mission trip in Arizona and when I would see pockets of water, I would always look at them, just to see if there are mosquito larvae," he says. "My wife is always saying, 'Hey, Howard, relax, you're not working today,' but you do something for 20 years, it's just second-hand, it's automatic." 
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