The Australian Registry of Wildlife Health (The Registry) is a dedicated research program of the Taronga Conservation Society Australia that investigates the health and disease of both free ranging and captive wildlife through both passive and active surveillance.

The Registry was established in 1985 as a collaborative program between the University of Sydney and the Zoological Parks Board of NSW (now Taronga Conservation Society Australia). Prof. Paul Canfield and Dr. Bill Hartley worked together to establish the Registry, which remains a collaboration between the two organisations.

Who we are

The Registry is a small, dedicated research program of Taronga that investigates the health and disease of both free ranging and captive wildlife through both passive and active surveillance. The Registry engages with a large network of partners, including zoos, universities, state and commonwealth government agencies, wildlife care groups, and human health professionals to bring multidisciplinary expertise together to address complex wildlife health problems.

What we do

The core mission of the Registry is to improve Australia’s ability to detect and diagnose endemic, emerging and exotic wildlife disease that could have negative impacts within the One Health sphere by causing adverse effects on biodiversity, human health, or the economy. The Registry has been key in the discovery and identification of numerous wildlife diseases of concern including, tularaemia, leishmania, macropod babesiosis, macropod orbivirus, Bellinger River Snapping Turtle virus, and a novel bacteria threatening critically endangered reptiles on Christmas Island. With a 33-year history of cataloguing diagnostics, active research, and delivering education, the Registry is a unique organisation positioned within the Australian wildlife health sector.