In Memoriam

Here we honour those members who made significant contributions to the WDA and to wildlife and ecosystem health worldwide.

Dr Don Forrester (1937-2023)

A JWD editor in the early ‘80s, Dr Forrester also served as WDA President and Vice President, and was an active Council member and a vocal advocate for WDA values, receiving the Emeritus Award in 2004.

He dedicated his life to the study of parasites and disease, earning a PhD from UC Davis in 1967 and accepting a position at the University of Florida Veterinary School in Gainesville in 1969, where he remained for the next 35 years. He published two landmark books; Parasites and Diseases of Wild Mammals in Florida (1992) and Parasites and Diseases of Wild Birds in Florida (2003) (with Marilyn Spalding), and his peer reviewed publications approached 200.

He was a gentle and deeply religious soul and the type of Christian who practiced what he preached. He adored his wife Gabriele and the three children they raised, and was truly in his element in the wilderness.