Inaugural Conference - June 2002
DUTCH SOCIETY FOR WILDLIFE HEALTH AND WILDLIFE HEALTH CENTER:
AN INTRODUCTION
Prof.
Dr. Albert W.C.A. Cornelissen, Dean; Faculty of Veterinary Medicine,
Utrecht University, PO Box 80.163, 3508 TD Utrecht, The Netherlands
During the past two to three decades we have seen the (re)emergence of (new)
diseases affecting a broad range of species at a global scale. This holds especially
for infectious diseases and the interface between free-ranging wildlife, domesticated
animals and humans. Many international initiatives were taken in order to address
health disease issues of wildlife, infectious disease outbreaks and the risk
analysis of transmission towards domesticated animals and humans.
In most countries a National Wildlife Health Center provides the technical
infrastructure and the leadership for addressing health issues in wildlife.
These centers provide multidisciplinary programs with not only typical veterinary
disciplines as for instance: environmental toxicology, infectious diseases,
medicine, pathology, public health and zoonoses, but also population biology,
wildlife ecology and conservation biology.
Also the Netherlands has encountered (re)emerging diseases in wildlife and
investigations are carried out in different institutions, including the Faculty
of Veterinary Medicine. The speakers of today’s conference will report
and discuss their findings. The Dutch Society for Wildlife Health has been founded
in order to offer a platform to these professionals. These experts do meet for
the first time in this setting. The second major goal of this society is to
enhance the level of wild life health in the Netherlands. Our school has taken
a similar initiative in establishing a multidisciplinary Wildlife Health Center,
in which we will bring together technical infrastructure and the leadership
for addressing health issues in wildlife and develop strong teaching and research
programmes. These developments will be discussed.
The inaugural conference of the Dutch Society for Wildlife Health is an important
step in putting this subject firmly on the Dutch agenda. We have to compliment
the organisers of this conference for putting together such an interesting programme.
I am convinced that this is a convincing start of e new era in wildlife health
in the Netherlands.
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