Laboratory Information:
National Wildlife Health Center
6006 Schroeder Road
Madison, WI 53711-6223
Phone: 608-270-2400
Fax: 608-270-2415
Website: http://www.nwhc.usgs.gov/
Agency/Department: Dept. of Interior
Region: Midwest
Background/History of the Laboratory:
The National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) is a science
center of the Biological Resources Discipline of the
United States Geological Survey. The NWHC was established in 1975 as a biomedical laboratory dedicated
to
assessing the impact of disease on wildlife and to identifying the role of various pathogens in contributing
to
wildlife losses.
Each year, wildlife managers across the United States are confronted with sick and dead animals, frequently
on a large scale. Minimizing such wildlife losses depends on effective technical support, knowledgeable
guidance, and timely intervention. The NHWC's modern buildings and laboratories
are designed exclusively for
combatting wildlife diseases. Due to the mobility of wildlife and the potential for spread of disease,
timely and
accurate determination of causes of wildlife illness and death is a prerequisite to achieving effective
disease
control and prevention. National wildlife refuge personnel, law enforcement agents, state conservation
agency
biologists, university-affiliated scientists and others send wildlife carcasses and tissue samples to
the NWHC
for diagnostic examination. The Center has a staff of over seventy scientists and support personnel
who offer
services and conduct activities to prevent and control wildlife diseases.
Mission of the Laboratory:
The mission of the National Wildlife Health Center is to serve the nation and its
natural resources by providing
sound science and technical support, and to disseminate information to promote science-based decisions
affecting wildlife and ecosystem health. The NWHC provides information,
technical assistance, research,
education, and leadership on national and international wildlife health issues.
To fulfill the NWHC mission, the Center monitors disease and assesses the
impact of disease on wildlife
populations; defines ecological relationships leading to the occurrence of disease; transfers technology
for
disease prevention and control; and provides guidance, training and on-site assistance for reducing
wildlife
losses when outbreaks occur.
