Katie Colvile

Curriculum Vitae:

• 2009- : Locum veterinary officer, ZSL London Zoo.
• 2009- : IoZ liaison for GB Wildlife Disease Surveillance Partnership.
• 2008- : Project Co-ordinator, Garden Bird Health initiative.
• 2008- : Wildlife Veterinarian/ Postgraduate Research Assistant, IoZ.
• 2008: Internship, Dubai Falcon Hospital.
• 2006– 2007: MSc Wild Animal Health, ZSL and Royal Veterinary College.
• 2005– 2009: Locum veterinary surgeon, private practice.
• 2001– 2005: Assistant veterinary surgeon, private (predominantly equine) practice.
• 2001: Member, Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
• 1995–2001: MA Vet MB; Magdalene College, Cambridge University.
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Research interests:

I am interested in wildlife health in the contexts of conservation and wild animal management. I have a particular interest in assessment of disease impacts on declining, or threatened, wildlife populations; management of disease in these populations; and disease surveillance for reintroductions.

My experience has primarily involved pathological investigation of native species for wildlife disease surveillance; clinical veterinary work with captive wild animal species in the UK and overseas; and disease risk analysis for reintroductions.
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Current Projects:

Garden Bird Health initiative (GBHi)

I have been working as project co-ordinator of the Garden Bird Health initiative since 2008. This highly collaborative, national project was launched in 2005; it aims to investigate causes of disease outbreaks in garden birds in GB, and identify risk factors so as to inform best practice guidelines for garden bird feeding. Among other findings, the project led to the discovery of the devastating impact of a parasitic disease, 'trichomonosis', on finch populations following its apparent emergence in these species in GB in 2005. Further information on the GBHi can be found on the project’s website .

Frog Mortality Project (FMP)

The Frog Mortality Project is a long-running partnership between the IoZ and Froglife. I have been conducting amphibian disease surveillance for this project since 2009. Further information on the FMP is available here .

Pilot 'Hedgehog Health' project

We recently established a pilot project to investigate causes of mortality in hedgehogs in GB. Members of the public can contact us to report sick or dead hedgehogs (see ‘Contact Details’ below).

GB Wildlife Disease Surveillance Partnership

The IoZ is a founding member of the GB Wildlife Disease Surveillance Partnership, a Defra-led surveillance network established in 2009. Under the Partnership, the IoZ has responsibility for disease surveillance in the following species: garden birds; amphibians; hedgehogs; marine mammals, turtles and basking sharks (surveillance in these species is conducted by the Cetaceans Strandings Investigation Programme [CSIP], co-ordinated at the IoZ); and Species Reintroduction Programme species. Key outputs of the partnership are the Wildlife Quarterly Reports, available here .
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Project Reports and Theses:

Colvile, K. 2007. A disease risk analysis for re-introduction of grey wolves (Canis lupus) to Scotland. Zoological Society of London and Royal Veterinary College, London. MSc thesis.
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Publications:

Colvile, K., Lawson, B., Borel, N., Caiser, K., Pospischil, A., Cunningham, A. (2010) Chlamydophila psittaci infection in garden birds in England and Wales. Proceedings of the British Veterinary Zoological Society Autumn Meeting, Dudley, 6th & 7th November 2010.

Colvile, K., Borel, N., Caiser, K., Pospischil, A., Cunningham, A., Lawson, B. (2010) Chlamydophila psittaci infection in garden birds in England and Wales. Proceedings of the 9th Conference of the European Wildlife Disease Association, Vlieland, The Netherlands, 13th–16th September 2010.

Colvile, K., Lawson, B., Toms, M., Cunningham, A. (2009) Setting up a health surveillance scheme for wild hedgehogs in Great Britain. Proceedings of the British Wildlife Rehabilitation Coalition Symposium, Writtle College, Essex, 21st November 2009.

Colvile, K., Sainsbury, A.W. (2009) Wolf (Canis lupus) re-introduction in Scotland: assessing the disease risks. Proceedings of the British Veterinary Zoological Society Spring Meeting, Durrell Conservation and Wildlife Trust, Jersey, 25th–26th April 2009.

Colvile, K., Bouts, T., Hartley, A., Clauss, M., Routh, A. (2008) Frothy bloat and serous fat atrophy in a giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) with chronic respiratory disease. In: Clauss, M., Fidgett, A., Hatt, JM., Huisman, T., Hummel, J., Janssen, G., Nijboer, J., Plowman, A. (Eds.). Zoo Animal Nutrition Vol IV. Fürth, Filander Verlag, 219-229.

Colvile, K., Sainsbury. A.W. (2008) Assessing the disease risks of wolf (Canis lupus) re-introduction in Scotland. Proceedings of the Veterinary Association for Wildlife Management Symposium 'Wildlife Diseases and Zoonotic Infections', Royal Society of Medicine, 19th November 2008.

Colvile, K., Sainsbury, A.W. (2008) Wolf (Canis lupus) re-introduction in Scotland: assessing the disease risks. Scottish Natural Heritage conference, 'Species Management: Challenges and Solutions for the 21st Century', Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, 29th–31st October 2008. (Poster presentation.)

Sainsbury, A.W., Molenaar, F.M., Colvile, K. (2008) Developing the methodology for disease risk analysis for translocations undertaken for biodiversity conservation. Proceedings of the 8th Conference of the European Wildlife Disease Association, Rovinj, Croatia, 2nd–5th October 2008.

Colvile, K. (2008) The Natural Chase. Report commissioned by the All Parliamentary Middle Way Group and Veterinary Association for Wildlife Management. Available from: www.themiddlewaygroup.org.uk and www.vet-wildlifemanagement.org.uk.