Using communication networks to assess the level of sharing of wildlife health data and information among wildlife professionals in Ontario, Canada

ABSTRACT There is a need for wildlife professionals to work together to more effectively protect wildlife health; however, collaboration between people of different professions and institutions can be challenging. Our objective was to examine and compare how the conservation and animal health fields share wildlife health data and information in Ontario, Canada. Fifty-five (50%) of 110 invited participants completed an online questionnaire about their wildlife health communication network over the previous 12 months. The professional communication networks (i.e., ego-networks) of practitioners were compared with respect to data sharing between institutions and professions. Results showed low levels of tie dispersion and high levels of ego-alter similarity. There was more data and information sharing occurring between people of different institutions than between people of different professions based on comparing tie dispersion and ego-alter similarity values for these categories. This study highlights opportunities for improved networking between wildlife conservation and health practitioners in Ontario.