Research overview: wildlife disease surveillance networks and felid health monitoring

Detecting and responding to felid disease depends on organized surveillance networks that gather and share data across regions and institutions. This overview surveys the structure and function of wildlife disease surveillance, from passive reporting of found-dead animals to targeted sampling programs, biobanking and coordinated diagnostics. It examines how networks enabled rapid recognition of events like the Serengeti distemper epidemic and SARS-CoV-2 in zoo cats, the challenges of standardization and data sharing, and the integration with One Health systems. The synthesis connects institutional infrastructure to epidemiological capacity. It aims to help readers understand that the ability to identify, characterize and respond to disease in wild cats rests not only on individual studies but on sustained, collaborative surveillance systems that turn scattered observations into actionable knowledge.