Veterinary surveillance: Wildlife
This
page explains why we look out for diseases in wild animals and birds,
and how we do it. It has links to other pages on the Defra website. You
can find further information on other websites by following the link at
the bottom of this page.
Garden bird deaths
Over the summer months we saw an increase in garden bird deaths. The most affected species were greenfinch and chaffinch. The deaths were cause by a protozoal organism Trichomonas.
This is not a disease which humans can catch and it is unrelated to Avian Influenza. Further information...
Why are we interested in wildlife?
The variety of wild animals and birds in Britain is an important part of our heritage. We want to know about them so we can look after them for the benefit of future generations as well as ourselves. Disease can lead to a decline in the population of native wildlife species.
Some of their diseases can spread to farm animals, to pets or to people. We need to know when wildlife are affected so we can try to stop the spread. Sometimes an outbreak of disease in wild animals may be the first sign that an unusual disease has got in to the country. Or it may show that there is an environmental problem like contaminated water.
How many wild animals are there?
We do not know exactly how many there are. But we have good information about changes in bird numbers from the Breeding Bird Survey. Since 1994 about 1700 volunteers have reported regularly on birds they see. You can find the results on the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) website.
From 1995, some of the same volunteers have also reported on some mammals. Since 2003 this work has been included in the Tracking Mammals Partnership. The website of the Mammal Society has maps which show the distribution of wild animals in Scotland.
Special studies have been carried out from time to time to find out about particular species. Details of some of these are on the website for the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC).
How we look for diseases in wildlife?
Members of the public often take dead wild animals they find to a VLA, SAC or other veterinary laboratory for a post mortem examination. Where there is a suspicion that wildlife have been poisoned by pesticides, it should be reported to the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme.
Sometimes we carry out special surveys to look for a particular disease.
Several research organisations or wildlife charities send us information.
We collect all the information we get and report it every year to the OIE. This report is available on the VLA website.
Which are the most important diseases in wildife in the UK?
Tuberculosis is common in badgers in some parts of the country. It also occurs in deer and occasionally in other species. It may kill the animals and may spread to cattle.
Myxomatosis still kills many rabbits, often in severe outbreaks in certain areas.
A virus called pox is an important cause of disease in red squirrels. There are not many red squirrels left in England or Wales, so any disease which kills a lot of them can have a very serious effect.
In the last ten years there have been two serious outbreaks of distemper in seals. Many sick or dead seals were washed up on to beaches.
Some types of Salmonella can infect wildlife. Sometimes this can make it difficult to control the infection on farms. Outbreaks can happen in garden birds when feeding areas are overcrowded. The Garden Bird Health Initiative is a collaborative project investigating the role of disease in garden bird declines.
What else do we look out for?
Bats in Northern Europe can be infected by a rabies-like virus called
European Bat Lyssavirus (EBL).
The Bat Conservation Trust is working with Defra to monitor this disease.
We examine dead birds for West Nile virus,
which is carried by mosquitos. So far we have not found the virus.
In birds, Newcastle disease and avian influenza are notifiable diseases which must be reported. They can be carried by migrating wild birds and spread to poultry. We carry out surveys for avian influenza.
Wildlife Health Strategy
We are also developing a Wildlife Health Strategy which will review wildlife in the UK. If you have an interest in wildlife this is an opportunity to get involved.
The Wildlife Health Strategy Team has recently worked with colleagues in Natural England to produce a guidance leaflet describing how to undertake effective rodent control on farms without impacting on the protected Dormouse.
Further information
- Glossary
- VLA Annual Wildlife Disease Reports
- VLA Wildlife Disease Surveillance Reports
- Other websites - These sites may be useful if you are interested in further information about wildlife in the UK. Please note that Defra does not necessarily endorse the content, information or opinions of these sites.
- Wildlife and Countryside information on the Defra website.
Page last modified:
24 July, 2007
Page last reviewed:
22 January, 2007