At a workshop hosted and sponsored by CPSG and the Auckland Zoo, experts pooled their knowledge and experience for the development of an online course in wildlife disease risk analysis. Completion of the course is planned for March 2020, when it will be offered globally to a wide range of professionals involved in managing diseases impacting wildlife. The workshop ran over two and a half days and built on the 2014 IUCN Manual of Procedures for Wildlife Disease Risk Analysis, put out by CPSG and the Auckland Zoo.

L to R: (back) Phil Tucak, Annabelle Olsson, Toni Tana, Richard Jakob-Hoff, Ben Davidson, Sue Leelawardana, Leanne Wicker, Lee Skerratt, Anke Wiethoelter, (front) Bec Vaughan-Higgins, An Pas.

Thirteen people from 10 organizations travelled from as far away as Townsville in northern Queensland and Perth, Western Australia to contribute to the workshop. The group brought a wide range of expertise, including veterinary science, epidemiology, disease ecology, teaching, course evaluation, science communication, wildlife management, risk analysis, biosecurity, government compliance and the development and use of online training courses in the health sciences. Participants will continue to collaborate (at a distance) on this project.