Addressing feral and wild animal threats during deployment: the distinction between animal control and rabies control

Abstract

Feral and wild animal control is a critical component of force health protection during troop deployments. The primary goal of animal control during a military deployment is to limit human injury or disease by reducing the likelihood of human-animal contact on US bases. For deployed US military forces, animal control will often be necessary, and trapping and euthanasia will remain the standard. In contrast, a rabies control program focuses on reducing disease incidence in an animal population with a subsequent reduction in rabies risk to military personnel. A successful rabies control program requires several components that typically are not possible in areas where the US Army deploys. The responsibility for animal control during an Army deployment has historically fallen to Army Preventive Medicine Sciences officers (Area of Concentration 67C). Understanding that the deployed US Army conducts animal control to limit human-animal contact, and also that it is generally not possible to mount a successful rabies control program on US contingency bases in the absence of an established, mature national plan will ensure that we are doing all we can to protect Soldiers from animal injury and disease transmission.