Conservation Biology · 1996 · 394 citations · 0 references
Veterinary MedicineVeterinary ParasitologyZoologyParasitologyWildlife BiologyWildlife ParasitologyDisease EcologyParasitic Diseases Of WildlifeWildlife Disease EpidemiologyWildlife Disease SurveillanceWildlife Infectious DiseasesWildlife Parasite SurveillanceDisease Risk ManagementDisease TransmissionDisease Transmission DisruptionField QuarantineParasite Monitoring And SurveillanceQuarantineTranslocationsWildlife Disease Transmission
Translocating pathogens with wildlife species poses growing conservation threats, yet most research is confined to veterinary literature and focuses only on immediate impacts on target species. The study examines how disease transmission during wildlife translocations can harm target and sympatric species, affect ecosystem evolution, and proposes hygiene, quarantine, and monitoring guidelines to mitigate these risks. The author evaluates both direct and indirect parasite effects on target and sympatric species and ecosystem evolution, and recommends hygiene, quarantine, and parasite monitoring protocols to reduce disease risks.
Threats posed to conservation programs by the translocation of pathogens along with the translocation of host species are being increasingly recognized. However, publications on this subject have appeared primarily in veterinary literature which often is not read widely by those who fund, plan, or carry out the majority of wildlife translocations. The problem of wildlife disease and translocations has been written about in detail recently, but in almost all cases has been limited to exploring the immediate effects of pathogens on the target species. I discuss the possible adverse effects of wildlife translocations that result from disease transmission. In addition to examining the effects on target species, I discuss the possible direct and indirect effects of parasite translocations on sympatric species and on the evolution of ecosystems in the long‐term. To reduce potential disease risks presented by wildlife translocations, I propose some guidelines for hygiene and quarantine procedures and for monitoring the parasite status of both captive and free‐living animals.