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  5. Wildlife Exotic Disease Preparedness Program

Sidebar first - Pests diseases weeds

  • Animal pests and diseases
    • Avian influenza (bird flu)
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        • National foot-and-mouth disease vaccination policy
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    • White nose syndrome

Wildlife Exotic Disease Preparedness Program

Opinions included in the material appearing on this website do not necessarily represent those of the Wildlife Exotic Disease Preparedness Program, the Department or the Australian Government.

The WEDPP is a joint program involving the Australian Government and state and territory governments that commenced in 1984-85.

WEDPP's mission is to improve Australia's emergency animal disease preparedness through the development of strategies to monitor, prevent, control or eradicate emergency diseases in wildlife and feral animals that threaten Australia's livestock industries.

In recent years more emphasis has been placed on improving wildlife surveillance, and for Australia to gain a better knowledge of potential pathogens in the general environment.

The specific objectives of WEDPP are:

  1. To enhance and refine technologies for the surveillance, containment and control of wildlife in order to improve Australia's animal disease preparedness capability.
     
  2. To develop a national cadre of competent personnel to perform wildlife disease control roles in an emergency animal disease incident; and promote the integration of animal health and wildlife personnel and activities for better animal health outcomes.
     
  3. To assist with the development of Australia's animal disease preparedness with an emphasis on developing wildlife strategies and procedures for AUSVETPLAN.

The program has been instrumental in generating awareness of the potential role of wildlife and feral animals in the spread of exotic diseases. The program has also facilitated the development of control and eradication payments.

Information about current and completed projects are provided below.

Note: Reports published on this page may not meet Australian Government accessibility requirements as they have not been prepared by the department. To obtain an accessible version please contact the document's author.

[expand all]

2012-13

WEDPP project 2012-2013
Project Number Project
1 Core Funding for the Australian Wildlife Health Network – New South Wales
2 Preparing for rabies: incursion pathways among free–ranging and domestic dogs – New South Wales
3 A biogeographic and ecological approach to wildlife health surveillance in Sahul – New South Wales
4 Social analysis of the Australian Wildlife Health Network Digest readership between populations – New South Wales

2011-12

WEDPP projects 2011-12
Project Number Project
1 Core Funding for the Australian Wildlife Health Network – New South Wales
2

Mapping Hendra Virus (HeV) distribution and diversity – Queensland PDF [278 KB, 1 page]
Mapping Hendra Virus (HeV) distribution and diversity – Queensland DOCX [63 KB, 1 page]

3

Avian migration and movement of pathogens in the Australo-Papuan context: Developing novel methods for the accurate assessment of relevant connectivity between populations – New South Wales DOCX [34 KB, 3 pages]

4

Evaluation of a real time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to simultaneously detect and differentiate virulent and non-virulent Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) – Victoria DOCX [63 KB, 17 pages]

Evaluation of a real time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to simultaneously detect and differentiate virulent and non-virulent Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) – Victoria PDF [278 KB, 17 pages]

2010-11

WEDPP projects 2010-11
Project Number Project
1

Taronga Conservation Society Australia - Australian Wildlife Health Network Core

2 Identifying and Mapping Hendra virus
3

Final report On Newcastle Disease Viruses in Wild Bird Species and Poultry PDF [198 KB, 19 pages]

Final report On Newcastle Disease Viruses in Wild Bird Species and Poultry DOCX [219 KB, 19 pages]

Development and Validation - Newcastle Disease

4

WEDPP final report May 2011

Avian Migration and Movement pathogens in the Australo-Papuan context
5 Reservoirs of Infection: The Epidemiological Characteristics of an Emerging Pathogen

2009-10

WEDPP projects 2009-10
Project Number Project
1

Taronga Conservation Society Australia - Australian Wildlife Health Network Core

2 Identifying and Mapping Hendra virus
3 Development and Validation - Newcastle Disease DOCX [709 KB, 35 pages]
4 Field Surveillance and Monitoring – Leishmania in the Northern Territory
5 Avian Influenza Viruses in Migratory Shorebirds and Nomadic Water Fowl in South Australia

2008-09

WEDPP projects 2008-09
Project Number Project
1

Northern Connections – Movements Of Birds Between Australia and Near Northern Neighbours

2 The Zoological Parks Board Of NSW - Australian Wildlife Health Network
3 Maintenance of a Coronavirus in a Population of Australian Bats
4 Feral Animals as Hosts of Exotic Disease
5 Destroy and Let Lie Disposal Project
6 Improving the Relevance and Efficiency of Wild Bird Surveillance for Avian Influenza

7

Identifying and Mapping Hendra Virus Strain Diversity

2007-08

WEDPP projects 2007-08
Project Number Project
1

Northern Connections – Movements Of Birds Between Australia And Near Northern Neighbours (No final report available)

2 The Zoological Parks Board Of NSW - Australian Wildlife Health Network
3 Improved Characterisation Of Avian Influenza Subtypes By PCR DOCX [543 KB, 10 pages]
4 Disease Surveillance And Epidemiological Investigations In Australian Fur Seals DOCX [62 KB, 5 pages]
6 Field Study On The Prevalence Of Different Rabbit Caliciviruses In South Eastern Australia (No final report provided)
8 Training Course In Exotic Animal Disease Preparedness For Free-Ranging Wildlife And Feral Animal Personnel (No final report provided)

9

Review Of Wildlife Exotic Disease Preparedness In Australia – Workshop Proceedings, April 2008 DOCX [983 KB, 45 pages]

Research on Wildlife Disease Preparedness in Australia - Wendy R Henderson (2008) DOCX [508 KB, 91 pages]

2006-07

2006-07 WEDPP projects
Project Number Project
1

Northern Connections – Movements Of Birds Between Australia And Near Northern Neighbours

2 The Zoological Parks Board Of NSW - Australian Wildlife Health Network
3 Determination Of Optimal Sampling And Transport Conditions For Enhanced Detection Of Avian Influenza And Newcastle Disease Viruses DOCX [2 MB, 45 pages]
4 Virological And Molecular Characterisation Of Variant Newcastle Disease Virus In Wild Bird Species With Specific Emphasis On Waders And Ibises

2005-06

2005-06 WEDPP projects
Project Number Project
1

The Zoological Parks Board of NSW - Australian Wildlife Health Network

AWHNOIE Report 2005
AWHN Annual Report 2008-09 PDF [3 MB, 124 pages]

2 The Genetic Structure of Austro-Indonesian Waterbird Populations
3

Development of Cyanide Bait for Rapid Disease Sampling and Surveillance of Wild Animals

4

Application of Rapid Diagnostic Tests in the Targeted Surveillance of Avian Influenza Virus within Victorian Wild Bird Populations

Application of rapid diagnostic tests in the targeted surveillance of Avian Influenza Virus within Victorian wild bird populations - Final Report 2006 PDF [397 KB, 28 pages]

6 Application of Rapid Diagnostic Tests to Detect Exotic West Nile Antibodies and Virus During Surveillance of Wild Birds, Mosquito Populations and Sentinel Flocks DOCX [122 KB, 5 pages]

7

Surveillance for Avian Influenza Viruses in Tasmanian Wild Bird Populations
8 Cross-Jurisdictional Model for Targeted Surveillance of Wild Bird Species PDF [272 KB, 25 pages]

9

Detecting Avian Influenza in Wild Birds in New South Wales

10

Avian influenza surveillance in Victorian wild birds and at-risk domestic poultry

11

Avian Influenza Surveillance in Wild Waterfowl in South Australia

2004-05

2004-05 WEDPP projects
Project Number Project
1

Feasibility of Delivering Oral Liquid Vaccines or Contraceptives to Feral Pigs

Summary Report

Related Paper
Cowled, B., Lapidge, S., Smith, M. & L. Staples. Vaccination of feral pigs (Sus scrofa) using iophenoxic acid as a simulated vaccine. Aust Vet J 2008; 86(1&2): 50-55

3 Preliminary Investigations for Measuring Animal Contact Rates
4

Development of Rapid Molecular Surveillance Tools for the Detection of Avian Influenza Within Victorian Wild Bird Populations

Final Report - August 2005 (4WEDPP04) PDF [502 KB, 18 pages]

6

The Feasibility of Targeting Surveillance for Avian Influenza in Wild Birds

Targeting surveillance for avian influenza in wild birds: a pilot investigation in New South Wales: Tracey 2005 PDF [543 KB, 28 pages]

  Pathogenicity of H5N1 Strain of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus in Australian Native Ducks

Australian Wildlife Health Network

Milestone Review Report of the AWHN PDF [209 KB, 30 pages]

AWHN OIE Report 2004

2003-04

2003-04 WEDPP projects
Project Number Project
3

A Novel Molecular-Ecology Approach to Ascertaining Emigration/Immigration and Potential Disease Spread in Feral Pigs

Summary Report

Related Papers

1. Spencer P., Lapidge S.Hampton J. & J. Pluske The sociogenetic structure of a controlled feral pig population Wildlife Research 2005; 32: 297-304

2. Hampton J., Spencer P., Alpers, D. et al. Molecular techniques, wildlife management and the importance of genetic population structure and dispersal : a case study with feral pigs J Appl Ecology 2004; 41 (4): 735-743

3. Spencer P., Hampton J., Lapidge S. et al An assessment of the genetic diversity and structure within and among populations of wild pigs (Sus scrofa) from Australia and Papua New Guinea. Journal of Genetics 2006; 85(1): 63-66

5 Distribution and Abundance of Pest Animals in the Rangelands of Western Australia
6

Determining the Species of Leishmania Associated with Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Red Kangaroo (Macropus Rufus) in the Northern Territory

Summary Report

Related Papers

1. Rose K. Cutaneous leishmaniasis in red kangaroos Aust Vet J 2004; 82(7): 440

2. Rose K., Curtis J., Bladwin T. et al. Cutaneous leishmaniasis in red kangaroos: isolation and characterisation of the causative organisms Int J Parasitol 2004; 34(6): 655-664

9a AWHN - Incorporation of GIS Mapping Software in the National Wildlife Surveillance Database
9b AWHN - Targeted Surveillance Activities
10 Workshop Addressing Decision Support Tools and the Management of Feral Pigs in an Emergency Animal Disease Event
12 Workshop to Review Policies Associated with Avian Influenza Virus

If you have any problems with the links on this page please contact the OCVO.

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Page last updated: 17 May 2022

We acknowledge the continuous connection of First Nations Traditional Owners and Custodians to the lands, seas and waters of Australia. We recognise their care for and cultivation of Country. We pay respect to Elders past and present, and recognise their knowledge and contribution to the productivity, innovation and sustainability of Australia’s agriculture, fisheries and forestry industries.

Artwork: Protecting our Country, Growing our Future
© Amy Allerton, contemporary Aboriginal Artist of the Gumbaynggirr, Bundjalung and Gamilaroi nations.

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