Wild Animal Welfare

Wildlife Disease Management: One Health Approaches to Animal Welfare

Disease management in wild animal populations requires One Health frameworks that connect wildlife, domestic animal, and human health in integrated approaches benefiting all species.

Key Facts

Welfare Considerations

Wildlife disease represents significant welfare harm affecting millions of wild animals annually, from the chronic suffering of mange to the acute mortality of epidemic events. One Health frameworks that recognize the interconnection of wildlife, domestic animal, and human health enable more effective disease management that serves all three. Oral vaccination programs for wildlife, coordinated livestock vaccination at interfaces with wild populations, and surveillance programs that detect novel disease threats early have all demonstrated capacity to reduce wild animal welfare harm at population scale. The investment in wildlife health infrastructure provides returns not just for wild animals but for the humans and domestic animals living in disease-connected landscapes.

What You Can Do