Sentinel Surveillance

Wildlife Health Australia coordinates a Sentinel Surveillance Program that integrates zoos, veterinary clinics and universities.

The Sentinel Surveillance program captures information on free-ranging and rehabilitation wildlife cases from around the country. Now coordinated as a collective group by WHA, the Zoo Based Surveillance Program, the Sentinel Clinic Surveillance Program, and the University Based Surveillance Program began in 2010, 2014 and 2016 respectively. Each participating organisation has one or more surveillance coordinators, usually veterinarians or veterinary nurses, who select and enter wildlife disease cases directly into the eWHIS database.

In addition to data entry, surveillance coordinators are brought together via four program meetings annually. The information captured through this program is used to better understand disease threats to biodiversity, human health and livestock, and contributes to our national picture of wildlife health. This is an invaluable surveillance effort providing data that may not be otherwise available, while creating a network that facilitates communication between veterinarians and the WHA Coordinators. 

The Sentinel Surveillance Program organisations see over 70,000 free-ranging wildlife cases every year and have made over 4,700 eWHIS database entries since the programs began. Click below to read the Sentinel Surveillance Program annual reports.

Surveillance Menu
echidna standing up tall looking looking at camera and standing on brown dirt

> WHA Coordinators & Environment Representatives

> Sentinel Surveillance

> Wild Bird Surveillance

> Bat Health Focus Group

> National Significant Disease Investigation Program

> eWHIS - Wildlife Health Information System

Zoos
Sentinel Clinics
Universities

Zoos

Sentinel Clinics

Universities

Support WHA

Wildlife Health Australia (WHA) leads national action to respond to emerging health issues affecting Australia’s wildlife. Today, you can join us, donate to support our work, or follow us to protect our unique and precious wildlife.

SUPPORT WHA
koala snuggled with its baby in tree
Join the Community!

Wildlife Health Australia aims to link, inform and support people and organisations who work with or have an interest in wildlife health across Australia through technical advice, facilitation, communications and professional support. Subscribe to join our community and receive our monthly newsletter.

 
Zoo Based Surveillance 

The Zoo Based Surveillance Program, a collaboration between WHA and the Zoo and Aquarium Association, was established in 2010 and includes ten zoo-based veterinary hospitals seeing free-ranging wildlife. Over 3,300 records from 250 different species have been entered by the zoos since the program began.

The nine participating zoos, who see over 27,000 free-ranging wildlife cases every year:

    • Australia Zoo Wildlife Hospital
    • Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
    • Healesville Sanctuary
    • Melbourne Zoo
    • Perth Zoo
    • Sea World
    • Taronga Zoo
    • Taronga Western Plains Zoo
    • Werribee Open Range Zoo
    • Zoos South Australia
A paper was published describing the program:
 
An article promoting the program was published by the Zoo and Aquarium Association to mark World Wildlife Day on March 3rd 2023:
 
Sentinel Clinic Surveillance

The Sentinel Clinic Surveillance Program commenced in 2014 and now includes 11 key wildlife veterinary clinics that have a high wildlife caseload or that expand the geographic and species coverage of the surveillance system. Participating clinics, which see over 35,000 free-ranging wildlife cases each year, are currently:

      • The Ark Animal Hospital, Darwin
      • Bonorong Wildlife Sancturay, Hobart
      • Broome Veterinary Hospital
      • Byron Bay Wildlife Hospital
      • Forth Valley Veterinary Hospital, Tasmania
      • Kimberley Vet Centre, Kununurra
      • Lort Smith Animal Hospital, Melbourne
      • Northern Territory Veterinary Services, Alice Springs and Katherine
      • RSPCA QLD Wildlife Hospital, Wacol and Eumundi
      • WA Wildlife, Perth.

 

University Based Surveillance

The University Based Surveillance Program consists of five universities that joined the core surveillance program between 2016 and 2023:

  • James Cook University,
  • Murdoch University,
  • the University of Melbourne,
  • the University of Queensland and,
  • the University of Sydney.

Two more universities also contribute through regular meetings with WHA.

  • Charles Sturt University and,
  • the University of Adelaide.

The university sector's involvement into WHA’s wildlife health surveillance system further facilitates the direct linkage of recognised experts working within Australia’s universities with the national framework and wildlife practitioners.