Interventions to manage pathogens and
diseases in wild animals
Introduction
There are four strategies that can be applied to management of pathogens and diseases in wild
animals.
Before health issues arise from wildlife pathogens:
1. Prevent new health problems from arising.
After health issues from wild animal pathogens have emerged:
2. Take no action or response to the health issue;
3. Intervene to control the health issue to some degree;
4. Intervene to eradicate the pathogen of concern.
Many approaches have been taken to control or to eradicate pathogens from wild animal
populations. These approaches have included:
• treatment with drugs delivered in oral baits or by remote injection
• vaccination: oral baits, remote injection, or trap-vaccinate-release
• reducing animal populations: reduced reproduction, translocation, killing
• changing animal distribution: fences, deterrents, attractants
• altering the environment: drainage, flooding, burning, insecticides.
Decisions on whether or not to attempt to control or eradicate pathogens in wild animal
populations should be informed by a complete review of the control methods available and of
the rationale and objectives of a control programme. Most often, there is little that can be done
to control pathogens in wildlife populations, and the best choice will be to attempt to reduce the
impact of such pathogens by actions that target the affected domestic animal or human
populations.
• Separate domestic animals from infected wild animals;
• Vaccinate people and domestic animals;
• Focus on human behaviour:
- cook meat
- purify drinking water
- prevent insect bites
- control rodent populations around people.
Such programmes can significantly reduce transmission of wildlife pathogens to people and
domestic animals, but do not require that disease management be attempted in wild animal
populations.
Health risk assessment in wild animal translocations
Wild animals are moved from place to place for many different reasons. Most often, they are
captured in the wild, transported, held in quarantine, and released again into the wild for
conservation or wildlife management purposes. Sometimes this also is done for commercial
purposes. There are potential health risks associated with all such movements of wild animals.
The principal risks are:
o That the animals will carry pathogens into the destination environment that will
cause harm to the destination environment.
o That the animals being moved will encounter pathogens in the destination
environment and will be harmed by these new pathogens.
, Health risk analysis can be carried out prior to the translocation of wild animals in order to
determine:
a) whether or not such risks exist, and
b) the magnitude of the potential consequences, to the economy and ecology of the
destination area and to the success of the translocation programme. The results of such risk
analysis can then be incorporated into the final decision whether or not to proceed with the
translocation. If the decision is to proceed but significant risks have been identified, the risk
analysis can guide efforts to reduce risk.
Wildlife disease surveillance
Surveillance for wild animal pathogens is the single most important component of a
national wildlife health programme. Only through wildlife pathogen surveillance can a
country know what pathogens exist within its wild animal populations, in which geographic
areas and in which host species. Surveillance is required to detect new, emerging diseases.
Surveillance also can measure the proportion of animals in a population which are infected. All of
this information is required to assess health risks associated with international trade or
internal movement of wild animals, and to meet international obligations for disease reporting.
Surveillance is the systematic on-going collection, collation, and analysis of information related
to animal health and the timely dissemination of information to those who need to know so that
action can be taken.
The key points are:
1) That it is a continuous activity, a constant investigation and vigilance for pathogens
in wildlife and the diseases they may cause;
2) That surveillance involves not just the collection of information but also the regular
analysis of the data for specific purposes; and
3) That surveillance includes communication of the results of data collection and
analysis to the full range of people, agencies and institutions that need the
information. Thus, a surveillance programme has several different components:
i) detection of dead or diseased wild animals, or collection of samples from wild
populations
ii) identification of pathogens and diseases (diagnosis, laboratory tests)
iii) information management: computerized records of all information
iv) data analysis and communication: maps, statistics, reports, risk analysis,
meetings
diseases in wild animals
Introduction
There are four strategies that can be applied to management of pathogens and diseases in wild
animals.
Before health issues arise from wildlife pathogens:
1. Prevent new health problems from arising.
After health issues from wild animal pathogens have emerged:
2. Take no action or response to the health issue;
3. Intervene to control the health issue to some degree;
4. Intervene to eradicate the pathogen of concern.
Many approaches have been taken to control or to eradicate pathogens from wild animal
populations. These approaches have included:
• treatment with drugs delivered in oral baits or by remote injection
• vaccination: oral baits, remote injection, or trap-vaccinate-release
• reducing animal populations: reduced reproduction, translocation, killing
• changing animal distribution: fences, deterrents, attractants
• altering the environment: drainage, flooding, burning, insecticides.
Decisions on whether or not to attempt to control or eradicate pathogens in wild animal
populations should be informed by a complete review of the control methods available and of
the rationale and objectives of a control programme. Most often, there is little that can be done
to control pathogens in wildlife populations, and the best choice will be to attempt to reduce the
impact of such pathogens by actions that target the affected domestic animal or human
populations.
• Separate domestic animals from infected wild animals;
• Vaccinate people and domestic animals;
• Focus on human behaviour:
- cook meat
- purify drinking water
- prevent insect bites
- control rodent populations around people.
Such programmes can significantly reduce transmission of wildlife pathogens to people and
domestic animals, but do not require that disease management be attempted in wild animal
populations.
Health risk assessment in wild animal translocations
Wild animals are moved from place to place for many different reasons. Most often, they are
captured in the wild, transported, held in quarantine, and released again into the wild for
conservation or wildlife management purposes. Sometimes this also is done for commercial
purposes. There are potential health risks associated with all such movements of wild animals.
The principal risks are:
o That the animals will carry pathogens into the destination environment that will
cause harm to the destination environment.
o That the animals being moved will encounter pathogens in the destination
environment and will be harmed by these new pathogens.
, Health risk analysis can be carried out prior to the translocation of wild animals in order to
determine:
a) whether or not such risks exist, and
b) the magnitude of the potential consequences, to the economy and ecology of the
destination area and to the success of the translocation programme. The results of such risk
analysis can then be incorporated into the final decision whether or not to proceed with the
translocation. If the decision is to proceed but significant risks have been identified, the risk
analysis can guide efforts to reduce risk.
Wildlife disease surveillance
Surveillance for wild animal pathogens is the single most important component of a
national wildlife health programme. Only through wildlife pathogen surveillance can a
country know what pathogens exist within its wild animal populations, in which geographic
areas and in which host species. Surveillance is required to detect new, emerging diseases.
Surveillance also can measure the proportion of animals in a population which are infected. All of
this information is required to assess health risks associated with international trade or
internal movement of wild animals, and to meet international obligations for disease reporting.
Surveillance is the systematic on-going collection, collation, and analysis of information related
to animal health and the timely dissemination of information to those who need to know so that
action can be taken.
The key points are:
1) That it is a continuous activity, a constant investigation and vigilance for pathogens
in wildlife and the diseases they may cause;
2) That surveillance involves not just the collection of information but also the regular
analysis of the data for specific purposes; and
3) That surveillance includes communication of the results of data collection and
analysis to the full range of people, agencies and institutions that need the
information. Thus, a surveillance programme has several different components:
i) detection of dead or diseased wild animals, or collection of samples from wild
populations
ii) identification of pathogens and diseases (diagnosis, laboratory tests)
iii) information management: computerized records of all information
iv) data analysis and communication: maps, statistics, reports, risk analysis,
meetings
