National Wildlife Health Center
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Welcome to the National Wildlife Health Center! Our mission is to advance wildlife health science for the benefit of animals, humans, and the environment.
Explore Science to learn more about wildlife diseases, ongoing projects, the Honolulu Field Station, and services.
Explore Data and Tools to use WHISPers, wildlife bulletins, our field manual, CWD surveillance app, and more.
Science Spotlight: Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Virus 2
Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus 2 (RHDV2) has been confirmed for the first time in wild rabbits in the United States.
Learn MoreHonolulu Field Station
The NWHC HFS provides support to the natural resource communities of Hawaii and the Pacific Basin in the investigation of wildlife diseases.
Learn MoreNews
Pathology Case of the Month - Canada Goose and Bald Eagles
May's Pathology Case of the Month details the cases of a Canada Goose and two Bald Eagles.
Pathology Case of Month - Zebra Finch
Case History: An adult female 9.95-g Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia guttata) from a California aviary was found dead. It was noted to be thin several days prior to its death.
Pathology Case of the Month - Foothill Yellow-legged Frogs
Case History: In October 2019, a mortality event of foothill yellow-legged frogs (Rana boylii) in a small creek in Santa Clara, California, USA was reported. Mortality peaked in autumn, when nighttime temperatures approached freezing. At the time of submission, the estimated number of dead was 35.
Publications
Human dimensions considerations in wildlife disease management
In 1943, Aldo Leopold observed that the real problem of wildlife management is not how to handle wildlife, but how to manage humans. As with any other aspect of wildlife management, social sciences can improve understanding the human dimensions of wildlife disease management (WDM). Human activities have accelerated the emergence of wildlife...
Richgels, Katherine L. D.; Gibbs, Samantha E.J.; Wild, Margaret A.; Leong, Kirsten; Decker, Daniel J.
Extreme mortality and reproductive failure of common murres resulting from the northeast Pacific marine heatwave of 2014-2016
About 62,000 dead or dying common murres (Uria aalge), the trophically dominant fish-eating seabird of the North Pacific, washed ashore between summer 2015 and spring 2016 on beaches from California to Alaska. Most birds were severely emaciated and, so far, no evidence for anything other than starvation was found to explain this mass mortality....
Piatt, John F.; Parrish, Julia K.; Renner, Heather M.; Schoen, Sarah K.; Jones, Timothy; Arimitsu, Mayumi L.; Kuletz, Kathy J.; Bodenstein, Barbara; Garcia-Reyes, Marisol; Duerr, Rebecca; Corcoran, Robin; Kaler, Robb S.A.; McChesney, Gerard J.; Golightly, Richard T.; Coletti, Heather A.; Suryan, Robert M.; Burgess, Hillary K.; Lindsey, Jackie; Lindquist, Kirsten; Warzybok, Peter; Jahncke, Jaime; Roletto, Jan; Sydeman, William J. Successful molecular detection studies require clear communication among diverse research partners
Molecular detection techniques are powerful tools used in ecological applications ranging from diet analyses to pathogen surveillance. Research partnerships that use these tools often involve collaboration among professionals with expertise in field biology, laboratory techniques, quantitative modeling, wildlife disease, and natural resource...
Mosher, B. A.; Bernard, R. F.; Lorch, Jeffrey M.; Miller, D. A. W.; Richgels, Katherine L. D.; White, C. LeAnn; Campbell Grant, Evan H.