Wildlife health in the One Health era: lessons from a 200-year institutional case study

Abstract The One Health framework has drawn increasing attention to the interdependence of human, animal and environmental health. In this context, wildlife health has become more visible, yet its role remains inconsistently defined and is often framed primarily in terms of wildlife as a source of pathogens of concern to humans and domestic animals. This perspective reflects only a limited subset of the reasons why different sectors of society value healthy wildlife. Marking the 200-year anniversary of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), a prominent institution in the emergence and development of wildlife health as a field, we synthesize historical, conceptual and applied perspectives to clarify what wildlife health means in practice and how it has been studied and managed over time. Our analyses show that wildlife health research remains dominated by disease-centric framings, with limited engagement with health as a state of comprehensive well-being. Using the Zoological Society of London as an institutional case study and drawing on six applied examples, we illustrate how wildlife health research can be embedded in policy and practice. We conclude by outlining key priorities for advancing wildlife health within the One Health era.