Another argument for the existence of zoos is that they are ideally located for scientific monitoring stations. Zoos network to collect and build up a collection of serum banks and to develop medical record-keeping systems (McNamara, 2007). This has.
proven extremely beneficial to identifying and monitoring the spread of deadly, infectious diseases. For example, the West Nile Virus was first identified at a zoological institution. Prior to the identity of the disease, wild crows began to die in the United.
States from unknown causes. It was not until crows at a zoo began to die that the problem was successfully identified. This virus threatens both animals and humans. The United States General Accounting Office (GAO, 2000) noted the fact that zoological institutions were instrumental in quickly identifying the virus, which brought into focus the value of public and animal health agencies working together in partnership in studying health issues for humans, domestic animals, wildlife, and animals in captivity.
Upon further investigation, GAO also noted that the zoo community was not an integral part of the public health paradigm and that because zoological institutes were not within the federal agency jurisdictions, the diagnosis of the West Nile Virus was much slower in coming than might have otherwise been the case. The diseases that have followed the West Nile Virus in the past decade, including a serious respiratory syndrome (SARS), monkeypox, H5N1 avain influenza, have increased the pressure to fund and develop bi- surveillance capabilities. Because zoos routinely add to serum banks, tissue banks, and maintain medical record-keeping systems, they are in a unique position to contribute meaningfully to bio surveillance. Zoos tend to the needs individual animal on a daily basis, so zoo personnel are quickly attuned to illnesses. In addition, zoos share among themselves data banks which collectively provide a wealth of information that can have positive implications in both human and animal health care and disease prevention (McNamara, 2007).
