Field in Focus: Hlawga National Park

The first step to eventually predicting the next pandemic is studying infectious diseases in places where humans and animals frequently come into contact. About 75 percent of emerging infectious diseases begin in wildlife. Their research to help prevent the next pandemic has led wildlife veterinarians with the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute's Global Health Program to a wild animal park in Myanmar, where they are collecting samples from animals ranging from sambar deer to elephants. They are learning what types of infectious diseases animals carry to help humans interact with them safely.