This innocent looking creature is a hit man. Across Asia, Africa and the Americas, bats are considered likely carriers of numerous zoonotic diseases.—Australia


    A fruit bat or Flying Fox released by Raina Plowright who has been studying their habits as potential carriers.—Australia


    Not everyone fears bats. Louise Saunders rescues them from power lines and angry citizens, feeds them apples and names them—Lorna, Boris, Angel.—Australia


    In 1994 Hendra disease attacked this racing community. Streets ran red with blood from horse autopsies—officials desperate to slow the spread of disease.—Australia


    First his horses died, then his best friend—invading blood then brain. Ray Unwin is the only human survivor of Hendra disease.—Australia


    The blood of juvenile macaque #12 may tell researchers if monkeys and humans have traded diseases in this village.—Bangladesh


    Dr. Lisa Jones-Engel locks eyes then pounces, delivering anesthetic to test monkeys that live side by side with villagers in dense, intimate spaces.—Bangladesh


    The threat is invisible. Mosquitoes and monkeys trading blood and malaria brought this grandmother into the circle of infection. She may not survive.—Indonesia


    A New Year's ritual may leave these men exposed to pathogens such as bovine TB from contaminated cows imported from India for this holy slaughter.—Bangladesh


    Even Bearded Dragons get sick. As a vet listens to its pea-sized heart he explains the stress of mistreatment exotics makes them vectors of disease not pets.—U.S.


    Our relationship with pets is complex. They are extensions of who we are or wish to be. Animals give us rabies, we give them our neuroses, obesity—abuse in many forms.—U.S.


    Susan Tellum is devoted to these prehistoric creatures that have been abandoned and mistreated. Tank and the 100 other animals in her care deserve respect.—U.S.


    Reptiles are no laughing matter. Particularly dangerous to children, each one carries salmonella. Over 4 million households have reptiles as pets.—U.S.


    Reptiles can also be lifesavers. Burned out of her apartment, Denise is homeless. Roxy, the iguana, is her only family. “He keeps me sane.”—U.S.


    Risking avian flu and Aspergillosis, Fish and Wildlife employee, Dennis Wiist, mines dead raptors for feathers used by Native Americans on their ceremonial regalia.—U.S.


    An old TV report is a stark reminder for these boys who almost lost their father to West Nile Virus. Tom TK was on a respirator for 6 months.—U.S.


    The power of animals to heal out weighs the risk of infection. A visit by Promise, the alpaca and Treasure, the chicken leaves residents calmer and more connected.—U.S.


    Inspectors at JFK International Airport search for pathogens piggy backing in cargo, luggage and personal bags.—U.S.


    They arrive at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Forensics lab wrapped in layers of plastic, sealed with evidence tape. Paws and faces provide clues to illegal animal trade.—U.S.


    Still warm and bloody—a monkey arm and Gambian rats fill a child’s market basket. These are the main carriers of Monkey pox.—Democratic Republic of Congo


    Prosper Balo is an expert gorilla tracker. In 2002 Ebola killed the gorilla families he loved—600 died. In 2003, Ebola attacked his human family—these survived.—DRC


    Brave in both field and lab, Eric Leroy, a leader in Ebola research, suits up before entering a level 4 lab to handle the deadly virus.—Gabon


    Yes, it’s a monkey. Yes, it carries disease. But it is also the key to survival, as bush meat is often the only affordable protein for millions of Africans.—DRC


    It’s 95 stifling degrees. Sweat drips from behind the researcher’s mask onto the cement floor and the vials of blood—progress is painfully slow in war torn Congo.—DRC


    Suffering from monkey pox, Norbert Nkoy, sits in his family’s hut - saline dripping into his arm. “A freshness is entering my body,” It was not enough to save him.—DRC