Wildlife and disease
together we will put this knowledge to good use

Welcome to the Dutch Wildlife Health Centre

Reporting guide for suspected bird flu

Follow the updates on bird flu tests in 2026 per month here.

Follow the updates on bird flu tests in 2025 per month here.

DWHC ‘focus species’ of 2026: wild rabbit and hare!

Found a focus species? Report them via our online form!

Photo wild rabbit (left) and hare (right): Dick Pasman

DWHC

On this website you will find information about diseases in wild animals in the Netherlands and, in the case of notable cases, abroad. The information can be found both by disease and by species.

To report a dead wild animal, you can use the reporting form. Our FAQ include topics such as which dead animals to report for examination at DWHC, and when a dead animal will be collected and examined.

Please keep reporting!

It is very important that you keep reporting dead wild animals, even if the animals cannot be collected. This helps us to maintain insight into the mortality among wild animals.

NB: The task of cleaning up dead animals does not lie with the DWHC, click here to see who is responsible for cleaning up dead animals.

News

DWHC focus species of 2026: the wild rabbit and hare!

The DWHC focus species of 2026 are the wild rabbit and hare. This means we’re devoting extra attention to researching these species this year. We hope to study more of these animals to gain a clear overview of the diseases circulating among wild rabbits and hares in the Netherlands. Several diseases occur in both
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Results of research on foxes in Friesland

From March 2024 to August 2025, the DWHC, together with the WBVR, commissioned by the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (LVVN), tested a total of 50 foxes from the province of Friesland for avian influenza (bird flu). This research is being conducted to develop an effective surveillance program for
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On-going Projects

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Agenda

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