Download Diseases of antelope: Risks of introducing live antelope into zoological gardens - Import risk analysis (May 2000)

The diseases carried by antelope have been reviewed. Forty-four diseases were identified that potentially carried by antelope. Six of these are diseases included in the OIE List A. The other diseases range from serious diseases to trivial or potential diseases. The likelihood of introducing any disease into New Zealand has been identified as extremely low, provided risk reduction procedures based on the following principles are implemented before and during the introduction: selection of antelope from safe sources, appropriate quarantine, application of suitable diagnostic tests, treatment or vaccination where appropriate, and use of artificial insemination and embryo transfer technology if possible and appropriate.

The highest potential risk to animal health of New Zealand livestock is the introduction of ticks that are vectors of 11 of the diseases carried by antelope and many other diseases of other species of animals. The possibility of disease introduction is probably higher for the chronic diseases, those that have very long incubation periods and those in which long-term carrier states exist. Of the 17 diseases that fall into these categories, only wildebeest-associated malignant catarrhal fever (Alcelaphine herpesvirus-1) is considered to be a moderate risk for introduction. Diseases requiring arthropod vectors such as ticks, mosquitoes and midges are most unlikely to be able to establish in New Zealand, although there is a low risk that endemic mosquitoes could carry some diseases.

Animals in zoos are generally well isolated from farm livestock. For this reason introduction of animals into a zoo situation is less dangerous than the introduction of animals onto farms. It is concluded that a well-managed introduction of antelope species into New Zealand zoos would involve minimal risk of introducing exotic diseases.