Dr. Shayan Sharif, an avian immunologist with the Ontario Veterinary College, spoke with The Atlantic about whether we should vaccinate wild animals against the diseases that humans have caused or allowed to proliferate.

Sharif noted pets and farm animals and poultry have long received various vaccinations, and noted: “Without vaccination, the poultry industry ‘wouldn’t last for more than a month or so.”  

He added that vaccinating wild birds instead would be a nearly impossible task. 

Sharif is the associate dean of research and graduate studies at OVC and a professor in the Department of Pathobiology, where he researches poultry immunology.