Field: (One Health) Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Host: Cardiff University
Funder: Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)
Fellowship Title: “A non-traditional transdisciplinary approach to the zoonotic disease potential of non-traditional companion animals”
Following a career break from academia, Tracey spent time working for trade associations representing the pet trade, building up extensive knowledge of UK and EU regulations as they pertain to the pet trade, animal health and welfare, and aquatic plant health, culminating in Tracey giving evidence to a UK Parliamentary Committee, the Environmental Audit Committee, on their inquiry into invasive non-native species. She also developed a keen interest in the field of One Health and now combines her extensive knowledge of the pet trade with her interest in One Health in her research project where she is affiliated to Cardiff University’s OneZoo Doctoral Training Centre.
The interdisciplinary project brings together biological and computer science, with human and veterinary medical professionals and the legal exotic pet trade to ascertain the zoonotic disease risk posed by ‘non-traditional/exotic’ pets. The project aims to fill in current knowledge gaps in which non-CITES listed taxa/species are traded, how they are sourced and using advanced computer science techniques to determine whether illegal online activity carries a unique trackable ‘fingerprint’. The output from this project can help towards developing targeted strategies that work rather than the use of blanket bans, with the retraining helping Tracey to continue her academic career and providing assistance to policymakers and regulators.
