National Centre for Wildlife Health

The National Centre for Wildlife Health is an interdisciplinary and cross-institutional centre dedicated to research in wildlife disease and surveillance of health in the Danish wildlife. The Centre is a collaboration between The National Veterinary Institute - DTU, Department of Bioscience - University of Aarhus and The Danish Nature Agency. 

The National Centre for Wildlife Health was founded in 2009 and the main focuses of the research activities are on wildlife health and management in Denmark. The research activities are coordinated through a board and a coordination group including representatives from Danish research institutions engaged in wildlife research and management. In addition to representatives the Danish Technical University, the board includes representatives from the Department of Bioscience, the Danish Nature Agency, the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, the Danish Agriculture and Food Council, and Danish Hunter Association. The purpose of the coordination group is to coordinate and facilitate research activities and manage severe disease outbreaks or other wildlife health emergencies. 

The National Centre for Wildlife Health is responsible for the national passive wildlife disease surveillance in Denmark, which were founded in the early 30´ies, at a governmental institution belonging to the Agricultural Ministry and mainly dedicated to production of serum and vaccines for veterinary applications and disease surveillance. Initially the main purpose of the wildlife section was to support eradication programs for severe contagious diseases like brucellosis and tuberculosis, by identifying possible reservoirs in wildlife. For more than 70 years this institution have conducted passive as well as active surveillance of diseases in Danish wildlife, making it one of the oldest – very likely the oldest - continuous national wildlife disease surveillance program in Europe.