Research overview: integrating disease data into felid conservation planning

Effective conservation increasingly requires integrating disease information alongside genetic, demographic and habitat data in planning for felids. This overview surveys how disease data are incorporated into conservation strategy, from population viability analyses that include outbreak scenarios to management plans that prioritize disease prevention for endangered cats. It examines the use of surveillance findings, risk assessments and modeling to guide decisions on vaccination, translocation and reservoir control, and the challenge of weighing disease against other threats. The synthesis connects epidemiology to conservation planning. It aims to help readers understand that disease is now a standard element of felid conservation, no longer an afterthought but a factor woven into the analyses and plans that determine how endangered cats are managed, reflecting hard lessons from outbreaks that reshaped the futures of species like the Iberian lynx and Florida panther.