Health surveillance in wild felid conservation: experiences with the Eurasian lynx in Switzerland

• Main Authors: Ryser-Degiorgis, Marie-Pierre, Meli, Marina L., Breitenmoser-Würsten, Christine, Hofmann-Lehmann, Regina, Marti, Iris, Pisano, Simone R. R., Breitenmoser, Urs
• Format: Text
• Language: unknown
• Published: IUCN, Species Survival Commission, Cat Specialist Group 2021
• Subjects: 630 Agriculture; Lynx; Lynx lynx lynx
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.48350/160687; https://boris.unibe.ch/160687/

Switzerland has become an important source of Eurasian lynx Lynx lynx for reintroduction projects in Europe. It is now widely accepted that translocations of animals are associated with a serious health risk. Therefore, the development of multidisciplinary expertise and the elaboration of veterinary protocols are needed, which require knowledge on the health status of the source population and information on potential health risks at the release site. Here, both disease cases and carriers of potentially threatening pathogens have to be taken into consideration. In Switzerland, a range of infectious agents circulate within lynx populations apparently without associated morbidity. However, genetic analyses combined with health investigations have pointed at a possible inbreeding depression. Furthermore, unexpected health issues arose in the framework of translocations. Overall, the Swiss experiences underline the necessity of long-term health surveillance of reintroduced and small isolated wildlife populations, the usefulness of well-established veterinary protocols in the framework of translocation projects, the value of multidisciplinary collaborations and of sample archives for further analyses, and the need for adaptive management based on scientific data. For a conservation programme of the Eurasian lynx on a pan-European level, procedure harmonisation should be sought.