Because we need nature, and nature needs us

Summer 2020
Addressing Wildlife Health in a Rapidly Changing World
Illustration of coronavirus as planet with animals and plants around it
Dear Friends of the Cornell Wildlife Health Center,

I hope you are keeping safe in this unprecedented time. As we all continue to navigate the impacts of the pandemic, I wanted to continue sharing some perspectives from my colleagues and I related to the pandemic crisis, as well as keep you updated on our work to secure a healthy future for wildlife and wild places, and thus for all of us.

Our current global predicament is in fact a crystal clear reminder that the extraordinarily complex challenges the human species will continue to face will not be solved by our continuing to act as if our destiny is separate from that of the natural world, or as if we are separate from each other. From global climate change to biodiversity loss; from air, water and soil pollution to depletion of freshwater resources; from authoritarianism to social injustice to the loss of a shared sense of truth — these crises all require a coming together of the global citizenry and leaders who genuinely represent them if we are to have any chance of securing a more sustainable and peaceful future for ourselves and for generations to come. One could fairly conclude that COVID-19 is trying to remind us, almost taunt us, that we are stronger when we are unified, and flounder when we don’t maximize transparency, honesty, equity, and international collaboration — and show genuine respect for each other, the rest of life on Earth, and the world's wonderfully diverse ecosystems that actually underpin our very survival as a species.

Thank you again for your interest and support, and I hope that you are all staying healthy and safe during these uncertain times.

Steve

Steve Osofsky, DVM
Director, Cornell Wildlife Health Center
Jay Hyman Professor of Wildlife Health & Health Policy
Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine
Life after covid
This podcast interview focuses on questions our pandemic predicament makes unavoidable, and on the value of using a One Health / Planetary Health lens to inform our answers.
This One Health panel discussion highlights Cornell’s unique mix of faculty expertise when it comes to problems impacting our health, the health of our fellow creatures, and that of the environment that supports us all. Watch the video here.
Reunion panel experts
USAID logo
In this op-ed, the Cornell Wildlife Health Center’s Dr. Steve Osofsky makes the case that U.S. foreign assistance must focus on the root causes of pandemics.
In this Cracking One Health podcast interview, Dr. Steve Osofsky provides a personal perspective on his One Health work in southern Africa, and on the origins of the One Health movement.
Cracking One Health podcast logo
Illustration of coronavirus as planet with animals and plants around it
One Health and Planetary Health approaches emphasize a “preventive medicine perspective – stopping problems earlier, rather than dealing with the consequences,” and could help prevent the next pandemic.
The Cornell Wildlife Health Center's Dr. Martin Gilbert co-authored a paper with preliminary findings that suggest the mixing of multiple coronaviruses in the wildlife trade and their apparent amplification along the supply chain could increase risk for end consumers.
Rat in the wild
Wet market
When we harvest wild animals from all over the world and bring them into markets where they're all mixed together, we are creating the perfect storm.
Dr. Steve Osofsky and One Health colleagues discuss the role of wildlife markets in igniting pandemics.
Bats in a cage for wildlife trade
Coronavirus closeup image
As the world grapples with the worst global public health emergency in recent memory, more than 350 scientists and conservation leaders from 60 countries are calling on governments across the globe to address high-risk wildlife trade to reduce the chance of another outbreak.
Your gift literally means the world to us!


Cornell is poised to solve the world’s most pressing wildlife health challenges through innovative, science-based approaches— you can help spur that innovation.
Please consider supporting the Cornell Wildlife Health Center by giving online, or contacting Sheila M. Reakes at 607-253-4310 or < smr45@cornell.edu>.
The Cornell Wildlife Health Center envisions a healthy future for wildlife, people and planet. We strive to develop proactive, science-based approaches for sustaining a healthier world. By improving knowledge, understanding, and capacity at the interface of wildlife health, domestic animal health, and human health and livelihoods, environmental stewardship can be enhanced today, and for tomorrow.

To learn more about the Cornell Wildlife Health Center, please contact Dr. Steve Osofsky at s.osofsky@cornell.edu or visit our website .

Let us know if you have any comments on this e-newsletter, and forward to a friend if you find it useful! Thank you for your support.
Cornell Wildlife Health Center | wildlife.cornell.edu | s.osofsky@cornell.edu