World Rabies Day

September 28, 2015, is World Rabies Day. Through its Serengeti Health Initiative, Lincoln Park Zoo has made a significant contribution to the global fight against rabies.

A young Tanzanian boy enjoys the company of domestic dogs brought by villagers for vaccination as part of Lincoln Park Zoo’s Serengeti Health Initiative.

Today, the zoo joins veterinarians, wildlife conservationists, public health officials and countless organizations in this international effort by building awareness and educating people about the risks, signs, treatment and prevention of rabies.

Rabies is a deadly disease that kills approximately 60,000 people annually worldwide and affects countless wildlife species. Most human cases are transmitted through the bite of an infected dog. You can find more info about rabies from the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (the organization behind World Rabies Day) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Tanzanian residents from villages near Serengeti National Park line up to have their dogs vaccinated.

Lincoln Park Zoo is leading the fight against rabies in Tanzania through the Serengeti Health Initiative domestic-dog vaccination program. Each year, we vaccinate more than 50,000 dogs living in the villages surrounding Serengeti National Park to prevent the spread of rabies into the Serengeti and protect the lives of the villagers. We also donate and facilitate the vaccination of another 80,000 dogs in neighboring areas.

Serengeti Health Initiative team member Paulo Tango vaccinates a dog while a young villager helps out. 

People, pets and predators are all interconnected and an integral part of the Serengeti Health Initiative. As dogs are the primary source for rabies transmission to both people and wildlife in Tanzania, our work is focused in the villages surrounding Serengeti National Park where people bring their dogs for annual vaccination days.

Meet Mze Ibrahim Isaka. The 75-year-old villager brought his dog, Supa, for vaccination because it keeps not only him but the village safe from rabies.

Kiboke, a 6-year-old boy (center), brought his dog, Spider, because vaccinating your dog is important to keep the dog and his family healthy.

It is through the collaboration and dedication of not only our SHI team, but also the villagers and village leaders, that we are able to keep the people, pets and predators of Serengeti safe from rabies.

You can help us in the global fight against rabies by donating to the Serengeti Health Initiative.

Anna Czupryna

Anna Czupryna is the research coordinator for the zoo-led Serengeti Health Initiative.

Learn More

Saving the Serengeti
See how a zoo-led vaccination program protects people, pets and predators such as lions in one of Africa's signature ecosystems. Lincoln Park Zoo scientist Anna Czupryna walks us through her research a world away.

The Heat is On This year the Serengeti Health Initiative is also taking part in some groundbreaking research assessing the thermo-stability of rabies vaccines.

Getting the Band Back Together The Serengeti Health Initiative vaccination team is a tight-knit crew of five fantastic Tanzanian guys, most of whom have been working with Lincoln Park Zoo for more than seven years!

Serengeti Vaccination Day Graduate researcher Anna Czupryna takes us to vaccination day near Tanzania's Serengeti National Park. By vaccinating domestic dogs against rabies and canine distemper, Lincoln Park Zoo prevents these diseases from impacting local people and wildlife.

Serengeti Wildlife Graduate researcher Anna Czupryna shares some of the cool critters she saw during her trip to the Serengeti. Some of these animals, such as the lions, are being protected by Lincoln Park Zoo¹s domestic-dog vaccination program.