Mission and History of SCWDS
Mission of SCWDS
The objectives of
SCWDS have always been to:
- detect causes of
sickness and death in wildlife
- define the impact of
diseases and parasites upon wild animal populations
- delineate disease
interrelationships between wildlife and domestick livestock
- determine the role of
wildlife in transmission of human diseases
History of SCWDS
 The Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife
Disease Study was founded in 1957 by the Southeastern Association of
Fish and Wildlife Agencies to determine the cause of widespread
die-offs of white-tailed deer. Headquarters and support
facilities were made available through agreement with The University of
Georgia's College of Veterinary Medicine in Athens, Georgia. This
became the first diagnostic and research service to be established for
the specific purpose of investigating wildlife diseases.
Prior to inception
of SCWDS, knowledge of wildlife diseases in the Southeast was almost
nonexistent. Sickness or death among wild
animals spawned speculations, accusations, and wild myths, particularly
when
livestock were nearby. Shortly after its formation, SCWDS began
to
provide answers to many long-standing questions. The obvious
useful
new information attracted immediate attention, and state wildlife
agency
funding was soon followed by annual USDI-administered grants and later
by
USDA support. Thus, SCWDS grew from a small project with one
mission
to a versatile, multipurpose wildlife disease research and service
organization.
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