The Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS) was founded in 1957 by the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies to determine the cause of widespread die-offs of white-tailed deer. An agreement with the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine led to a headquarters and support facilities in Athens, GA, where SCWDS became the first diagnostic and research service to be established for the specific purpose of investigating wildlife diseases.
SCWDS objectives are to:
- detect causes of sickness and death in wildlife
- define the impact of diseases and parasites upon wild animal populations
- delineate disease interrelationships between wildlife and domestic livestock
- determine the role of wildlife in transmission of human diseases