Decoding wildlife movement to predict the next pandemic

As zoonotic diseases like avian flu and COVID-19 continue to threaten both human and wildlife populations, a new study introduces an innovative framework for disease detection—using wild animals themselves as sentinels. By equipping wildlife with biologging devices that track movement and behavior in near-real-time, researchers can detect early signs of illness, monitor disease spread, and inform public health interventions before outbreaks reach crisis levels. The study outlines six key applications of this approach and calls for global collaboration across health, conservation, and environmental sectors to make biologging-based surveillance a central tool in the fight against future pandemics.

[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]– When the next pandemic threat looms, help may come from an unexpected source: wild animals. In a groundbreaking new study led by Prof. Ran Nathan from the Movement Ecology Lab at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, researchers propose a bold new approach to detecting and managing disease outbreaks—by tracking wildlife in near real-time.

Published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution, the study presents a comprehensive framework for using animal movement data—gathered through tiny, wearable biologging devices—to identify signs of disease before outbreaks spiral out of control. It’s a shift from reactive treatment to proactive prevention, and it could revolutionize how we approach zoonotic diseases like avian flu and even future COVID-like pandemics.

“The winter 2021/22 avian flu outbreak at the Hula Valley was Israel’s largest wildlife outbreak, killing 8,000 cranes and threatening human health. At that time, we had 10 GPS-tracked cranes, some of which died. The mass mortality scene at the Agamon Hula was devastating, but the data from the tracked cranes provided unprecedented insights for guiding rapid management decisions. This prompted us to develop a general framework applicable to multiple diseases and host species.” said Prof. Nathan. “Thanks to advances in biologging, we can now track wild animal in near-real-time, far faster and more effectively than before. This allows early detection of outbreaks, targeted mitigation, and the potential to save both human and animal lives.”

The framework lays out six ways biologging can be used to fight disease, including:

• Early warning systems that detect abnormal movement patterns linked to infection;
• Real-time alerts when tagged animals enter sensitive zones;
• Behavioral changes that signal sickness—even before visible symptoms appear;
• Insights into how diseases spread across landscapes and species;
• Data to guide interventions, from targeted surveillance to adjusting wildlife management policies;
• Predictive modeling of future outbreaks based on current movement and environmental data.

And while the technology is cutting-edge, the logic is simple: when animals start acting differently, they may be telling us something important.

This shift toward biologging-based surveillance isn’t just about animals—it’s a One Health approach that recognizes the deep interconnections between human, animal, and environmental health.

The study, co-authored by a multidisciplinary team including Idan Talmon, Sasha Pekarsky, Yoav Bartan, Nikki Thie (Hebrew University), Wayne M. Getz (UC Berkeley and University of KwaZulu-Natal), Pauline L. Kamath (University of Maine), and Rauri C.K. Bowie (UC Berkeley), calls for coordinated global investment in wildlife monitoring and stronger collaboration between health and conservation sectors.

“Imagine getting a push alert—not from a news outlet, but from a tracked animal—signaling that a deadly virus may be spreading,” Prof. Nathan explained. “This isn’t science fiction. It’s the future of public health.”

While challenges remain—including cost, data management, and the need for international cooperation—the authors argue that the benefits far outweigh the risks. With the increasing frequency of zoonotic disease outbreaks, the question isn’t whether we can afford to do this. It’s whether we can afford not to.