Cornell University: Wildlife health a key component to conservation

A new perspective piece from the College of Veterinary Medicine highlights the vital relationship between wildlife health and the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation.

“Some of our greatest conservation thinkers understood that health was a key part of conservation, but until now, its connection to the model that governs how we care for animals and plants in North America has largely been overlooked,” said Dr. Robin Radcliffe, associate professor of practice in wildlife and conservation medicine. “Figuring out a sustainable, healthy relationship between humans and the natural world has so far eluded modern society, and I can’t think of anything more important than that in light of recent events.”

This new perspective piece by Radcliffe — alongside co-author Dr. David Jessup of the University of California at Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, Wildlife Health Center — was published in the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine Sept. 26. It reviews the current model and its history, posits wildlife health as a crucial missing piece, offers precedent and a path for moving forward.