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Wet market

“When we harvest wild animals from all over the world and bring them into markets, let them all mix together, what we’re doing is creating the perfect storm..." says the Cornell Wildlife Health Center's Steve Osofsky, on wet markets.
Rodman Getchell and researcher examining a fish

Blog

The Cornell Wildlife Health Center's Dr. Rodman Getchell gives a behind-the-scenes look at the exciting aquatic animal health research being done at Cornell, and the significant role it plays in responding to emerging issues in fish health in New York State and internationally.
Malayan tiger

The Animal Health Diagnostic Center at Cornell University conducted initial COVID-19 testing of samples from a Bronx Zoo tiger. It is believed to be the first known case of an animal infected with SARS-Cov-2 in the U.S. and the first tiger worldwide.
Earth with face mask

Blog

I have spent my career trying to think of ways to enhance my own species’ respect and concern for the rest of life on Earth. Perhaps a tiny, invisible virus will be what actually (hopefully) tips the scales towards a critical mass of global understanding of the fact that our own health is intimately tied to how we treat the natural world…. It’s not too soon to make this a “never again” moment. The very good news is that we can, and we must.
Earth with face mask

I have spent my career trying to think of ways to enhance my own species’ respect and concern for the rest of life on Earth. Perhaps a tiny, invisible virus will be what actually (hopefully) tips the scales towards a critical mass of global understanding of the fact that our own health is intimately tied to how we treat the natural world…. It’s not too soon to make this a “never again” moment. The very good news is that we can, and we must.
Wet market

Podcast

The Cornell Wildlife Health Center's Dr. Steve Osofsky shares his views on steps we must take to greatly decrease the chances of future pandemics.
New Zealand fur seal on the South Island of New Zealand

Blog

Cornell veterinary student Mariah Rayfield Beck ’20 discusses the implications of the connection between wildlife health, human disease, and how we can all be conservationists.
Dr. Alex Travis standing in a lab

Cornell experts discuss COVID-19's origin and its impact on the global economy. Cornell's Dr. Alex Travis states "if COVID-19 teaches us anything, it's that we can't afford not to pay attention to how we interact with the environment."
Person wearing face mask sitting outside with cat

The Cornell Wildlife Health Center's Dr. Steve Osofsky states "this is a viral lottery," describing how all sorts of wildlife normally separated by continents are brought together at markets in Asia. "If you're a virus and you survive by spreading, you couldn't create a more perfect system for aiding and abetting the next pandemic."   
Flock of sheep with farmer in Asia

For Your Information

Growing evidence suggests that multiple wildlife species can be infected with peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV), with important consequences for the potential maintenance of PPRV in communities of susceptible hosts, and the threat that PPRV may pose to the conservation of wildlife populations and resilience of ecosystems.