Newswise — Wildlife health practitioners and health agencies in the most remote corners of the globe confronting issues such as Ebola, tuberculosis, even avian influenza, are often forced to work with few resources, including access to relevant information needed to combat pathogens that threaten wildlife, livestock, and humans alike.
In the interest of disseminating knowledge on the health of wildlife to those parts of the world where it is most needed, the Wildlife Disease Association (WDA) with the support of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) have made available a virtual library of information on the world's leading health challenges via the internet, with free access for the most economically challenged countries.
Specifically, WDA and WCS' Field Veterinary Program are providing for 112 countries with the least developed economies in the world free access to more than 40 years of the Journal of Wildlife Diseases—a prestigious peer-reviewed publication sharing original research and critical findings on a wide range of health issues affecting wildlife, domestic animals and people. The electronic form of the Journal of Wildlife Diseases is produced in cooperation with HighWire Press of Stanford University.
"This progressive action offers our comprehensive and most contemporary published information free of charge to countries representing and trying to care for the health of almost 74 percent of the world population," said Dr. Scott Wright, President of WDA. "We would not be able to do this without the support of the WCS-FVP, a sustaining member of the WDA."
The WDA, publisher of the Journal of Wildlife Diseases, is a society of approximately 1100 members and no employees. It focuses its resources on its mission to acquire, disseminate, and apply knowledge of the health and diseases of wild animals in relation to their biology, conservation and interactions with human and domestic animals. This mission complements WCS' mandate to "save wildlife and wild lands through careful science, international conservation, education, and the management of the world's largest system of urban wildlife parks, led by the flagship Bronx Zoo."
Dr. Damien Joly, an epidemiologist and senior scientist of the WCS' Field Veterinary Program added that access to the journal will help empower health organizations and agencies with knowledge as they deal with health challenges in an increasingly globalized world. "The extensive and rapid movement of flora and fauna throughout the world promotes the spread of wildlife diseases, including many diseases that are transmissible to humans and domesticated animals," added Joly. "Offering increased knowledge of wildlife diseases to so many areas of the world will help everyone more effectively manage and protect wildlife resources and also health of people and domestic animals."
"The WDA welcomes partnerships with other like-minded organizations that will increase the publication of knowledge about wildlife health and assist in the distribution of knowledge to places where it can best benefit protection of wildlife and sound practices for management of wildlife," said Dr. Wright.
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