Wildlife rescue and rehabilitation considering highly pathogenic avian influenza in Japan

Abstract

Wildlife rescue and rehabilitation in Japan is carried out autonomously at the local level. Each local government sets its own objectives for wildlife rescue and rehabilitation and allocates tax funds to achieve these goals. As part of the response to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), Japan focuses on passive surveillance, and injured or sick mammals and birds are considered to be targets for surveillance. Injured or sick mammals and birds play a role in the early detection of the distribution of environmental pollutants and the spread of infectious diseases, contributing to the overall health of society. However, Japan's wildlife rescue and rehabilitation efforts lack minimum standards for quarantine and the health of personnel, even during normal times, and as a result, some local governments fail to fulfill their role in surveillance. Since HPAI viruses can easily be carried across national borders and from region to region by migratory birds, there is a need for uniform global measures to prevent opportunities for antigenic variation caused by viral proliferation. It is essential for autonomous, local, wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centres in Japan, to have clear objectives and for minimum standards to be established, to be defined by the relevant government ministries.