How can zoos monitor diseases that can spread between animals and humans?

Zoos play a vital role in monitoring zoonotic diseases—illnesses transmissible between animals and humans—by conducting disease surveillance research within their captive populations and broader wildlife groups. This monitoring is essential for public health, as evidenced by the Bronx Zoo’s veterinary staff, who successfully alerted health officials to the presence of the West Nile virus.1

Effective control and monitoring strategies in zoo and exhibition settings include:

• Disease Surveillance: Veterinary teams actively monitor animal populations for pathogens such as hantavirus, bird flu, and other emerging threats.1
• Animal Management: Facilities implement strict management protocols to reduce the disease burden, which includes regular health screenings, quarantine procedures for new arrivals, and environmental disinfection.23
• Contact Regulation: To prevent transmission, zoos manage human-animal interactions, such as those found in petting zoos, and emphasize hygiene practices like handwashing for visitors and staff.2
• Multidisciplinary Collaboration: Because disease agents can exist in animals, humans, and the environment, zoos often work alongside public health veterinarians and other specialists to coordinate control programs.23