Disease implications on wildlife and from the wildlife trade – possible solutions

Dr. William B. Karesh

note: slides from presentation were shown on both Nov. 15 and Nov. 19

About Dr. William B. Karesh

Dr. William B. Karesh
Co-Chair, IUCN Veterinary Specialist Group
Director, Field Veterinary Program
Wildlife Conservation Society

Dr. Karesh serves as the co-chair of the IUCN Veterinary Specialist Group and also directs the Field Veterinary Program of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). The first of its kind in the world, the Field Veterinary Program was created to fill the need for health-related services and technical advice among field biologists, conservation organizations, and government agencies around the globe. To date, the Field Veterinary Program has facilitated over a hundred projects in Asia, the Americas, Africa, and northern Europe.

Prior to his work with WCS, Dr. Karesh was Director of the Center for Wildlife Conservation at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington, and a veterinarian at the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park in California.

Over the years, Dr. Karesh has worked with thousands of animals, and his work has brought him to some of the most remote corners of the world. Under Dr. Karesh’s direction, the Field Veterinary Program has expanded from wildlife health assessments and monitoring to now include training and professional development for foreign government workers and non-governmental organizations and informing policy development to ensure health and conservation. The IUCN Veterinary Specialist Group has doubled in size under his leadership, with more than 350 members now in 50 countries around the world.

Dr. Karesh tries to focus attention on practical problems raised by the interactions between wildlife, people, and their animals. His programs range from preventing diseases of wildlife and domestic animals from Argentina to Zambia, and the linkages of wildlife and human health and well-being. Dr. Karesh is leading efforts in the Congo Basin to reduce the impact of diseases such as Ebola, measles, and tuberculosis on endangered species such as gorillas and chimpanzees, as well as humans living in the region.

Dr. Karesh is recognized internationally as an authority on the subject of wildlife health. In addition to having published over one hundred scientific papers, Dr. Karesh has written a book for general audiences called Appointment at the Ends of the World: Memoirs of a Wildlife Veterinarian, published by Warner Books.