Diseases of wild animals

Difficulty of controlling disease in wild animals

Nature

Difficulty in controlling disease in wild animals may lead to the establishment of enzootic diseases and to outbreaks of epizootic diseases, causing great economic losses and the risk of the spread of zoonoses. Difficulty of controlling disease in wild animals may arise through lack of knowledge of the outbreak in the first place, and through the inaccessibility of wild animal populations. Once the disease is recognized, the only means of control so far available is that of mass extermination, which is undesirable from an ecological and cultural point of view, and total extermination of a disease-carrying species (the only certain way in which to ensure that it will not break out again), is largely impracticable. Immunization measures come up against the problem of tracing infected wild animals and of capturing them, inoculating them successfully, and then being able to retrace them to record results.

Background

The significance of diseases in wild animal populations emerged in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as epizootics such as rinderpest and avian influenza caused dramatic wildlife declines and ecosystem disruptions. Global awareness intensified with the recognition of zoonotic spillovers, notably Ebola and SARS, highlighting the interconnectedness of wildlife health and human well-being. Recent advances in disease surveillance and molecular diagnostics have further underscored the pervasive and complex nature of wildlife disease dynamics worldwide.

Incidence

Several hundred thousand of Australia's feral water buffalo have been shot from helicopters in a government programme to wipe out unmustered feral water buffalo in areas where tests show a rate of around 10% or higher of bovine tuberculosis, a disease which can affect other cattle and humans. This drastic measure is being taken to protect Australia's cattle industry from the possibility of tuberculosis and its reputation from the suggestion that the disease is common in cattle-raising areas.

Claim

Diseases of wild animals are a critical and urgent problem that demands immediate global attention. Ignoring these diseases not only threatens wildlife populations with extinction but also endangers entire ecosystems and human health through zoonotic spillover. The loss of biodiversity and the risk of new pandemics make it irresponsible and dangerous to overlook this issue. We must prioritize research, monitoring, and intervention to protect both wildlife and humanity’s future.

Counter-claim

Diseases of wild animals are vastly overblown as a concern. Nature has always managed its own balance, and animal diseases are simply part of that process. Human intervention is unnecessary and a waste of resources that could be better spent on real issues like poverty or education. Wild animal diseases rarely impact humans or ecosystems in any significant way, so prioritizing them is misguided and distracts from far more pressing global problems.