Background

Health and welfare of wild and feral animals (hereafter referred to as wildlife health) are important factors in population dynamics of wildlife and environmental management in the Netherlands. Many species of wild animals are present in both urban and rural areas.
A better understanding and improved monitoring or surveillance of wildlife health is important for several reasons, including:

the early recognition of emerging diseases;
the possibility of transmission of disease between humans and wildlife;
the possibility of transmission of disease between domestic animals and wildlife;
the role of disease as indicator of environmental change;
the threats to wild animal welfare;
the threat of decline or extinction of wildlife species.

Historically a number of institutes in the Netherlands have worked on different aspects of wildlife health. However, a central point for questions or concerns related to wildlife health, research and monitoring activities was non-existent. In addition, not all areas of wildlife health were addressed. This led to the intitiation of the Dutch Wildlife Health Centre (DWHC) in April 2002, under the auspices of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Utrecht University, the Institute of Virology of the Erasmus MC Rotterdam and the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries (LNV).

Since 2008, the DWHC is located at the Department of Pathobiology of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in Utrecht. Representatives from Dutch institutions concerned with human or animal health and wildlife in the broadest sense form the DWHC scientific advice commission. Currently these institutions include the RIVM (Bilthoven), the CVI, (Lelystad), the GD (Deventer), WUR (Wageningen), Erasmus MC (Rotterdam) and the VWA (Den Haag). Representatives of institutions involved in wildlife and environmental management are invited to join the commission.