Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute

The Institute is a leader in studying factors that may negatively impact wildlife populations in south Texas. Diseases, parasites, environmental contaminants, and natural toxins (such as aflatoxin) are being evaluated by Institute personnel to determine their impacts on wildlife and to determine measures needed to enhance and maintain healthy wildlife populations.  Researchers are also evaluating the relationships between wildlife diseases and humans. 

Institute researchers, Drs. Scott Henke and Alan Fedynich are developing methods for improving diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and control of wildlife diseases that also impact humans and domestic animals. Surveys are conducted to determine diseases that exist in a wide range of wildlife species and the disease’s potential impact on other species. The Institute has a partnership program with the USDA-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service-Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) focusing on wildlife diseases, parasitology, and toxicology related studies. 

 ◊ The USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services Texas Field Station was established as an arm of the NWRC and as a partner with the Institute in 2004. Under the leadership of Dr. Tyler Campbell, the Texas Field Station focuses its activities on the development of wildlife-disease monitoring techniques and management strategies for wildlife diseases affecting livestock and humans in Texas. The Texas Field Station is the first NWRC field station in the southwestern United  States, and the first to focus on wildlife disease-related issues.