Health monitoring and conservation of wildlife in Sweden and Northern Europe

Monitoring of wildlife diseases started in Scandinavia as sporadic postmortem examinations in the early 20th century. In 1945 a monitoring program for wildlife health was initiated. The program is today an integrated part of the National Environmental Monitoring programs in Sweden. The total material today comprises more than 80000 recorded investigations. There are similar programs in Denmark, Finland, and Norway, but no comparable program exists in other Northern European countries. The program has led to discoveries of new diseases in many mammals and birds, and demonstration of several environmental pollutants, such as mercury, lead, and cadmium, in wildlife. The success of the program is due to several factors such as: a rich wildlife with economically important game species; location of the program at the National Veterinary Institute with excellent facilities and competent staff, good cooperation with hunter and conservation organizations, stable financial support, a cool climate, and a successful relationship with media. Current work also includes more focused investigations on different specific pathogens and pollutants, as well as investigations in single animal species.