The wildlife health program and laboratory was implemented in 2004 to provide agency expertise and veterinary services for wildlife diseases for all wildlife in oregon

The State of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) received a formula grant award of $1,348,277 from the U.S. Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service under the Wildlife Restoration and Basic Hunter Education and Safety program (CFDA 15.611) for the period of July 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. This funding supports the statewide Wildlife Health and Population Laboratory Program, which was established in 2004 to provide integrated veterinary services, disease surveillance, and population management support across all Oregon wildlife species.

The grant funds laboratory and field operations that deliver five core services: (1) prevention of emerging wildlife diseases through surveillance, monitoring, and disease control protocols to protect Oregon's wildlife resources; (2) incorporation of animal welfare standards into research and management programs through veterinary consultation and institutional oversight; (3) education and training in animal handling, disease protocols, animal capture, and immobilization for agency staff, laboratory personnel, and cooperator institutions; (4) communication and coordination between health staff and field operations while serving as liaison with interagency cooperators, stakeholders, and the public on wildlife health matters; and (5) population assessment and demographic analysis for bear, cougar, bobcat, river otter, marten, deer, and elk populations throughout Oregon, including determination of sex, age structure, reproductive status, and litter size.

Veterinary and lab staff coordinates agency response to disease issues and outbreaks for all species and addresses wildlife health issues within the department, with interagency cooperators, regionally and nationally as appropriate. The population lab provides population level information to headquarters staff, managers and field staff for statewide management decisions involving harvest and wildlife population level statistics. Funding from this grant will support the statewide laboratory, field activities and staff costs for both of these integrated programs. The wildlife health and population laboratory program primary mission is to serve as support all agency field staff, programs and administrators through:1. Prevention of emerging wildlife diseases by providing disease surveillance, monitoring, disease eradication or control to protect oregons wildlife resource from emerging disease threats. 2. Incorporating animal welfare standards into research and management programs through intra-agency consults, animal care and use committee service, and veterinary support on research and management projects as requested. 3. Providing education and training (animal handling, disease protocols, animal capture, drug and immobilization, etc.) to agency staff, laboratory staff and cooperators and other institutions and AGENCIES4. Providing effective communication, support, and service between health staff and all field and administration staff as well as collaborative liaison between odfw and interagency cooperators, stakeholders and the public of oregon concerning wildlife health ISSUES5. Determining SEX and age structure of bear, cougar, bobcat, river otter, marten, deer and ELK populations throughout oregon. Determine reproductive status and litter size of female bear, cougar and marten in oregon statewide or by county.6. Coordinating radio transmitter frequencies for fish and wildlife telemetry studies agency biologists and other cooperators statewide.