Wildlife Health Australia is celebrating 15 years of collaboration with the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA) and Australian zoos through the Wildlife Disease Sentinel Surveillance Program, reflecting a shared commitment to protecting wildlife health and biodiversity across the country.
Originally launched as a pilot in 2010, the program marked a significant step toward integrating zoo-based wildlife health data into national surveillance efforts. The program was established as a zoo-based program jointly by WHA and ZAA, and ongoing collaboration and support from the two organisations has ensured its success.
This success led to the establishment of similar programs with veterinary clinics and university partners. Today, WHA coordinates these as a combined Wildlife Disease Sentinel Surveillance Program with 27 partners across Australia, including 10 zoos. The program contributes to Australia’s frontline biosecurity system by monitoring wildlife health and reporting and investigating diseases that may pose risks to biodiversity, agriculture and public health.
Nicola Craddock, ZAA’s Executive Director, says the partnership with WHA and the Sentinel Surveillance Program has been vital in unlocking greater contribution by zoos to Australia’s wildlife biosecurity.
“Surveillance and monitoring of Australian wildlife are critically important for early disease detection, particularly where fragile populations of threatened species may be at risk,” said Ms Craddock.
“The geographic distribution of ZAA member zoo and aquarium wildlife hospitals supports a holistic and coordinated approach for wildlife biosecurity. ZAA deeply values its partnership with WHA, the strength of this exceptional database and its vital contribution to Australia’s One Health framework.”
Zoo partners help monitor national high-priority diseases such as avian influenza and Australian bat lyssavirus, and investigate emerging diseases such as fungal diseases of reptiles and sarcoptic mange in marsupials. Zoo partners also report diseases affecting native species conservation, such as toxoplasmosis and koala chlamydial disease. They have helped to establish a consistent framework for wildlife disease reporting and build capacity among zoo veterinary teams to detect and respond to health threats. As of October 2025, Australian zoos have contributed more than 3,800 cases from over 300 different species into the national wildlife disease surveillance database.
Dr Frances Hulst has been a Veterinary Officer at Taronga Zoo, one of the original zoos to join the program, since 1995.
“As a zoo contributor to the Sentinel Surveillance Program since the start, it has been exciting to be part of a big-picture resource that advances awareness and knowledge of wildlife health in Australia using cases that we see through our wildlife hospital,” said Dr Hulst.
“The training and support from WHA for data entry is excellent and it has been great to see the program broaden its geographic reach during that time. The regular opportunities to communicate with other surveillance team members is very helpful in sharing knowledge and experience in real time.”
The long-standing collaboration between WHA, ZAA and participating zoos demonstrates the strength of partnerships in safeguarding Australia’s wildlife health, aligning with WHA’s strategic priorities across intelligence, One Health and advocacy and outreach.
WHA, ZAA and its partners look forward to a program that continues to grow and develop, leveraging information sharing and the strength of collaboration to help address emerging challenges in wildlife health.
Read more on the Wildlife Disease Sentinel Surveillance Program here. For more information about ZAA, visit www.zooaquarium.org.au