The highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 is an emerging and unexpected threat to many wild animal species, which has implications for ecological processes, ecosystem services and conservation of threatened species. International collaboration and information-sharing is essential for surveillance, early diagnosis and the provision of financial and technical instruments to enable worldwide actions.
As many wild animal populations are already under strain from habitat loss, climate change and other global change drivers, previously neglected threats such as some emerging infectious diseases can rapidly decimate wildlife populations1. One such emerging disease in wildlife is the highly pathogenic avian influenza caused by the A H5N1 virus.
H5N1 is an outcome of unsustainable production systems that overexploit land and domestic animals2. Since it was first detected in poultry (1959, chickens in Scotland; 1996, geese in China) and waterfowl (2005, in China), the virus has spread globally in poultry and wildlife<a data-track="click"