Dutch Wildlife Health Centre (DWHC)

Welcome to the Dutch Wildlife Health Centre

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

DWHC ‘focus species’ of 2025: Peregrine Falcon and Common Kestrel

Common Kestrels and Peregrine falcons are birds of prey that are high up in the food chain. By eating infected prey animals, they can also become infected with diseases themselves. That is why examining these birds can tell us something about the diseases that are present in an area.

Found a dead common kestrel or peregrine falcon? Report them via our online form!

Picture Peregrine Falcon (left): Vincent van Zalinge, picture Common Kestrel (right): Roy Slaterus (Sovon)

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

Bird flu found at poultry farm in Drenthe

7 October 2025

Last night, avian influenza was confirmed at a broiler breeder farm in Gasselternijveenschemond, Drenthe. To prevent the spread of the avian influenza virus, the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) is culling 71,000 animals and establishing Read more

France: Outbreak of lumpy skin disease in new department, Rhône

2 October 2025

On September 18, 2025, an outbreak of lumpy skin disease (LSD) was reported in Rhône, France. This is the first case in this department. The number of LSD infections in France now stands at 79. The disease has previously been found in the departments of l’Ain (2), Savoie (32), Haute-Savoie (44), and now also in

Results of roe deer blood sample research 2024-2025

23 September 2025

Between March 2024 and April 2025, hunters, wildlife managers, and game coordinators could submit blood samples from roe deer to the Dutch Wildlife Health Centre (DWHC). The blood samples were collected for research by the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) into areas where the

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