Vaccinating and healing sick animals

Abstract

Wild animals suffer and die from diseases. While humans vaccinate wild animals, this is done primarily to protect human interests or favored species. Vaccination programs for rabies, brucellosis, sylvatic plague, anthrax, hepatitis B, swine fever, Ebola, and avian influenza demonstrate the capacity to reduce wild animal suffering. Methods like probiotic treatments for white-nose syndrome in bats and chytridiomycosis in amphibians, and mange treatment in wombats, further illustrate this potential. Even the eradication of rinderpest, primarily aimed at domestic cattle, significantly benefited wildebeest populations. Sterilization techniques for disease-carrying insects, while controversial, offer another avenue for reducing suffering. Despite the challenges of vaccinating wildlife, successful programs highlight the feasibility and potential for broader application if speciesism is rejected. – AI-generated abstract.