Disease and genetical investigations of Fennoscandian cervids - A review

Fennoscandia (Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark) is inhabited by many wild and/or semi-domesticated populations of cervids: moose (Alces alces), red deer (Cervus elaphus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), fallow deer(Dama dama), and reindeer (Rangifer tarandus). Cervids, especially moose, roe deer and reindeer, are an important natural resource of considerable economic value for tourism, hunting, and animal husbandry. Severe contagious livestock diseases have not been present in the cervids. Today however, increased trade of domestic and wild animals has lead to an obvious risk of foreign diseases entering Fennoscandia. Routine investigations of wildlife diseases date from the beginning of the present century in Fennoscandia. Besides these studies, research projects today are specifically concerned with investigating wildlife diseases. In this paper we: (1) give an overview of past and present investigations of diseases of cervids in Fennoscandia; (2) summarize the development of disease management from past to present; and(3) describe a direction for future research in Fennoscandia with respect to the dynamic problems associated with disease management of wild cervids beginning to arise in a rapidly changing Europe.