Addressing health threats to wild carnivore conservation worldwide

Wild carnivores are in crisis. According to the latest assessments by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, 62% of the 29 large carnivore species are considered at risk of global extinction. Positioned at the top of global food webs, large carnivores include some of the most iconic and endangered mammals on Earth, facing complex issues as they come into more direct contact with domestic animals and people. As wild carnivore populations decline, infectious diseases and other health threats can represent the final domino tipping populations to extinction.

For many wild large carnivores, protected areas will be unable to secure their long-term survival, and we must accept a future of landscapes shared between people and wild species. We aim to address this by investigating the health threats facing endangered wild carnivore populations, and empowering local communities to achieve a productive and harmonious future in landscapes shared with their wild neighbors.