Wildlife Health

A wildlife veterinarian takes a sample of saliva from a small monkey using a bright orange sampling swab

The Global Health Program identifies and addresses health concerns in threatened wildlife populations. Their work is focused in East Africa and Southeast Asia — biologically and culturally diverse regions that are home to some of the most endangered keystone species on the planet.

Survival of wildlife in these areas is threatened by habitat loss, poaching and disease, among many other factors. Such threats to survival are only exacerbated by the lack of support, resources and trained wildlife health specialists around the world.  Through in situ clinical care, research and training, the Global Health Program plays a critical role in stabilizing wildlife populations so that all species and ecosystems may thrive.

Projects

A giant panda at the Chengdu Panda Base in China

Advancing Care in Panda Medicine in China
The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, or Chengdu Panda Base, is a Chinese institution renowned for advances made in the propagation of giant pandas — one of the world’s most charismatic and endangered species.
Orangutan

Advancing Orangutan Care in Borneo
The Global Health Program works with International Animal Rescue Indonesia to ensure that disease risk does not pose a threat to rescued orangutans.
A group of vultures feeding on a carcass in the grass in Africa

Anthrax Epidemiology and Vultures
Smithsonian scientists and partners are investigating the epidemiology of anthrax in free-ranging vultures across Kenya.

Gorilla Health in the Wild
The Global Health Program travels to East Central Africa annually to collaborate with Rwandan, Congolese, and Ugandan field veterinarians on research projects to benefit the conservation and health of the endangered mountain gorilla.
scimitar-horned oryx laying in grass

Investigating Oryx Diseases in Chad
Researchers are investigating infectious diseases that might circulate in wild antelope and domestic ungulates (like camels, cattle, goats and sheep) in Chad.
cheetah in grass

Lion and Cheetah Genetic Health in Kenya
Scientists are investigating carnivore genetics, population health and conservation management in Kenya's Maasai Mara region.
close-up of elephant face and part of trunk

Novel Platelet-Derived Treatment for Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus (EEHV)
Smithsonian scientists are investigating EEHV, a virus that impacts Asian elephants.
A wildlife veterinarian examines a sedated pangolin. She uses a stethoscope to listen to its vitals.

Pangolins: Health and Conservation
Smithsonian scientists study infectious disease, clinical health and conservation medicine of pangolins, the world's most trafficked mammals.
A black rhino with thick skin, large ears, a stocky body and a long horn protruding from the end of its snout

Rhino Conservation and Medicine
Smithsonian scientists are conducting a rhinoceros medicine workshop in Kenya and investigating a skin infection plaguing the endangered black rhinoceros.

Continue Exploring

A whiteboard from a scenario planning workshop with x-and-y graphs with axes representing "political will" and "population size" and colorful dots added to sections

Case Study: Scenario Planning in Northwestern Virginia

Virginia Working Landscape

Case Study: Land Use Modeling in Northwestern Virginia
A researcher stands among tall trees in a sunlit forest in Virginia.

Changing Landscapes Initiative
Smithsonian scientists work alongside community members in Northwestern Virginia to evaluate the impacts of land-use change on wildlife, ecosystem services and community health.
Corals

Coral Biobank Alliance
Smithsonian scientists are part of the Coral Biobank Alliance, a global network of coral experts preserving corals for restoration and research.
coral reef

Coral Cryopreservation Training Course
An underwater photo of a coral reef with a large coral in the foreground surrounded by smaller corals and fish swimming in the distance

Coral Species Cryopreserved with Global Collaborators​
View a list of the coral species that have been cryopreserved using a technique developed by Smithsonian scientists.
Herd of wildebeest grazing on an open grassy plain with one tree

Wildebeest Conservation
Conservation Ecology Center scientists are tracking the movements of white-bearded wildebeest to understand how changes across the landscape impact the species.
A small bird called a piping plover stands on a sandy shore

Protecting Piping Plovers in the Great Lakes
In 2022, the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center will begin a new research project to help protect endangered piping plovers from predation by merlins.
A swift fox wearing a tracking collar is released at Ft. Belknap

Swift Fox Recovery
Smithsonian scientists, in collaboration with the Fort Belknap Fish and Wildlife Department, are embarking on a five-year swift fox reintroduction project to restore swift foxes to tribal lands and to help reestablish connectivity between disjointed swift fox populations.
A large leafy tree growing adjacent to a body of water, with cattle grazing in the grass underneath its canopy

Conserving the World’s Largest Working Wetland
Conservation Ecology Center researchers are collaborating with institutions in Brazil and other Smithsonian colleagues to support sustainable cattle ranching in the Pantanal wetland.