Sage-Tips

Why is it important to study wildlife diseases?

Diseases in wildlife can influence reproduction, survival, fitness, and abundance of wildlife populations and can affect biodiversity within ecosystems and present an additional threat to many populations, especially those with limited abundance (i.e. threatened and endangered species).

Why is animal disease important?

Monitoring animal health and preventing animal disease outbreaks is vital to the economy and safety of the country’s food supply. Production of healthy livestock helps to ensure a safe food supply and keep consumer prices stable.

Why is it important to protect animals and wildlife?

By conserving wildlife, we’re ensuring that future generations can enjoy our natural world and the incredible species that live within it. To help protect wildlife, it’s important to understand how species interact within their ecosystems, and how they’re affected by environmental and human influences.

What is the importance of wildlife to society?

Animal, plant and marine biodiversity keeps ecosystems functional. Healthy ecosystems allow us to survive, get enough food to eat and make a living. When species disappear or fall in number, ecosystems and people—especially the world’s poorest—suffer.

What is the significance of monitoring animal populations to disease control?

A major advantage of an efficient disease monitoring programme for wildlife is the early detection of new and ’emerging’ diseases, some of which may have serious zoonotic and economic implications.

How does disease affect animal population?

Disease outbreaks that do not cause direct mortality may also affect populations by reducing reproductive rates (Breed et al., 2009), which can slow a species recovery following a disturbance and make populations more vulnerable to stochastic extinction.

Why is it important to prevent animal diseases?

Prevention helps to avoid animal suffering and death, transmission to other animals or people, and production losses for farm animals like a drop in milk production, etc. Regular vaccination can also help reduce bacterial disease, meaning vets can safeguard precious tools like antibiotics for use only when necessary.

What is the importance of animal health care and management in animal production?

Animal health management, particularly for trading, is focused on ensuring that traded livestock and livestock commodities derived from livestock should be safe in terms of transmission of diseases to animals and humans.

How are animals used in the healthcare system?

Surgical procedures, pain relievers, psychoactive drugs, medications for blood pressure, insulin, pacemakers, nutrition supplements, organ transplants, treatments for shock trauma and blood diseases—all have been developed and tested in animals before being used in humans.

What are some diseases that wildlife is monitored for?

More than half of the new infectious diseases that plague humanity—including avian influenza, West Nile virus, SARS, and even Ebola—originated from animals. Now, new findings suggest that many of these outbreaks could have been detected earlier, and potentially prevented, had wildlife monitoring programs been in place.

What are some diseases that come from wildlife?

West Nile Fever, Hendra and Nipah virus and many more diseases, including many zoonoses such as Ebola, are originally found in wildlife. All diseases for which wildlife act as a reservoir and have an impact on animal populations (wild and domestic) and humans or a combination of all, need extra attention from the international community.

Why is it important to assess and monitor disease in wildlife?

It is important to regularly assess and monitor disease in wildlife populations so we can take steps to reduce their impact on healthy animals. Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) is a degenerative, fatal brain disease that affects members of the deer family.

Can we enhance the debate about wildlife disease?

Perhaps the perspectives provided here will serve to enhance the debate about wildlife disease in ways that will strengthen our capacity to address disease on behalf of free-ranging wildlife populations and advance wildlife conservation in the 21st century. Milton Friend Emeritus Scientist USGS National Wildlife Health Center v Contents Preface

What are the effects of emerging wildlife diseases?

The effects of emerging wildlife diseases are global and profound, often resulting in the loss of human lives, economic and agricultural impacts, declines in wildlife populations, and ecological disturbance.