Abstract

South America has high wildlife diversity, characterized by the scarcity of diseases data and of enough professionals trained for health management, which could pose a risk to the future occurrence of epidemics originating from the same, which maybe affect public and wild/domestic animal health. Buin Zoo Conservation and Research Department (CIBZ) was created in 2010 with “One Health” paradigm in their philosophy, and the mission to address the wildlife health management based in scientific issues. We plan to be tool to answer questions such as What, Who, Where and When through wildlife diseases research and, on base of this, develop management proposals; all this covered by interdisciplinary and interinstitutional working networks. We created three programs: wildlife health education and training, wildlife disease surveillance, and sanitary issues for endangered species action plans. After 1.5 years of work, through the first program we have accessed more than 200 students and professionals in the region in reproductive, nutrition, pathology, epidemiology, imageology, clinical issues in zoo/wildlife animals. Through the second program we establish a serum bank and develop health screening for more than 300 captive wild mammals for different infectious pathogens (Brucella abortus, canine distemper virus, Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis, Leptospira interrogans, Toxoplasma gondii) through serologic and molecular techniques. Currently we are work for providing information on health issues for the conservation of two endangered mammals’ species in the region. Through these efforts we pursue higher standards levels of wildlife health management in natural and artificial environments in South America.