Establishing priorities for wildlife disease surveillance in Nepal: starting from scratch

Nepal is a country with a wealth of biodiversity and has invested considerable resources for protecting habitat and combating poaching. However, few resources have been allocated for monitoring or treating wildlife disease.... [ view full abstract ]

Nepal is a country with a wealth of biodiversity and has invested considerable resources for protecting habitat and combating poaching. However, few resources have been allocated for monitoring or treating wildlife disease. Consequently, there is very little information on wildlife diseases which might impact conservation of important endangered species. The following criteria were used to determine priorities for wildlife disease surveillance in Nepal: 1) identify species by conservation status (IUCN, CITES, Nepal), 2) identify diseases by species susceptibility and existing evidence, 3) identify disease priorities from local and international animal health sources, 4) identify options for diagnostic testing that could be implemented in the field, could be processed within Nepal, or would require a laboratory outside the country. Resources included published scientific literature, websites (e.g. OIE, Nepal government), and a multi-stakeholder survey and workshop. 25 threatened mammals were identified as immediate priorities based on the above criteria (birds and reptiles will be considered later). 9/34 viral, bacterial or parasitic diseases were identified as priority diseases to include in surveillance activities. An additional 12 diseases were identified by the Nepalese animal health community as One Health priorities and will be incorporated later. Diagnostic capacity for all 9 priority diseases was determined to be available within Nepal. Diagnostic tests for 6/9 priority diseases were selected for implementation in the field laboratory. Information was organized in tabular format to allow for quick referencing based on species or disease with a second sheet detailing diagnostic options. Information from this project will be published openly and is meant to be a starting point for the Nepalese wildlife health community. It is currently being used to establish guidelines for developing diagnostic capabilities in the field laboratory (Chitwan National Park) and will also be used it to guide research priorities going forward.