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SUMMARY

Much of the interest in disease ecology and wildlife health has been prompted by the recent emergence, or resurgence, of many parasites that move between livestock, wildlife, and/or humans. Wildlife and their parasites do not recognize political or jurisdictional boundaries and, as a result, national parks are affected.

Wildlife diseases are important because of their impact on both the natural ecosystem and human health. Wildlife, domestic animals and humans share a large and increasing number of infectious diseases. The continued globalization of society, human population growth, and associated landscape changes, will multiply opportunities for contact between wildlife, domestic animals, and humans, facilitating emerging infectious diseases (EID). Arrows in Figure 1. depict some of the key factors promoting infectious diseases that threaten desired population levels and long-term survival of some species.

In response, Yellowstone National Park signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Montana State University and the University of California–Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Wildlife Health Center to establish the Yellowstone Wildlife Health Program. This program is focused on understanding and addressing priority wildlife disease and ecosystem health problems at Yellowstone National Park.

The Yellowstone Wildlife Health Program combines expertise from several disciplines to address existing and potential diseases in the park. As Yellowstone National Park is home to one of the most intact remaining wildlife ecosystems, it is fitting that the park should serve as a proving ground for the problem-oriented, basic, and applied disease research that will be necessary to conserve these wildlife resources for future generations. This report highlights the Yellowstone Wildlife Health Program projects and initiatives undertaken in 2007.