Here we list some other recent projects. Scimitar-horned oryx As part of a PhD project undertaken by Dr. Stephanie Brien, infectious disease surveillance was conducted in scimitar-horned oryx, sympatric wild ungulates and local livestock in Tunisia and Chad. Novel molecular diagnostic techniques and next-generation sequencing were used to identify pathogens in blood and in non-invasive samples, to aid post-release monitoring and to explore other research questions. A disease risk analysis was also undertaken to forecast the outcomes of future wild releases of scimitar-horned oryx in Tunisia. The project was a collaboration with Marwell Wildlife, the Pirbright Institute and the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, and was completed in 2025. For further information about our Division's work on scimitar-horned oryx conservation, please contact Prof. Rob Ogden.Contact Prof. Rob Ogden Migratory Species and Health We compiled a substantive review entitled ‘Migratory Species and Health: a review of migration and wildlife disease dynamics, and the health of migratory species, within the context of One Health’, for the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) of the United Nations. At the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the CMS (CMS COP14) in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in 2024, the 133 Parties (signatory countries) to the Convention adopted an updated Resolution on Wildlife Health and Migratory Species which encouraged them to take note of this review in their planning and to implement its key recommendations. Migratory Species and Health - a review for the Convention on Migratory SpeciesMembers of our group are part of a CMS Working Group on Migratory Species and Health, which will be taking some of the report's recommendations forward.For further information, please contact Dr. Katie Beckmann.Contact Dr. Katie Beckmann Wildlife trade and zoonoses: reducing risks in Tanzania's game meat industry We collaborated with TRAFFIC International on a project entitled ‘Reducing risks in Tanzania’s game meat industry: developing a One Health model for safe, sustainable and legal supply’, which was supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and ran from 2022-2024. The project characterised zoonotic disease risks associated with the legal supply of game meat products in northern Tanzania and identified interventions required to achieve a safe and sustainable supply of game meat. The project team liaised with government agencies and authorities, promoting changes in legislation and technical oversight of the trade so as to improve meat inspection practices. For further information, please contact Dr. Katie Beckmann.Contact Dr. Katie Beckmann Raptor Health Scotland Raptor Health Scotland was a collaborative project developed as part of a PhD undertaken by Dr. Gabriela Peniche, which assessed the health of birds of prey as indicators for ecosystem health through field sampling and post-mortem examinations. The project was completed in 2021.For further information about our group’s work with raptors please contact Dr. Neil Anderson or Dr. Gidona Goodman.Contact Dr. Neil AndersonContact Dr. Gidona Goodman This article was published on 2024-09-02
