“Healthy Wildlife – Healthy People”. With this motto the 62nd General Assembly in Pravets, Bulgaria raised awareness on the fact that the purpose of wildlife conservation is not only to promote biodiversity richness, but also to keep our own human existence at a healthy, balanced level. Wildlife diseases are of great concern to hunters everywhere in the world. Wildlife diseases may result in declining wildlife population numbers and genetic diversity and may have long-term effects on habitats and ecosystems. Certain wildlife diseases can be transmitted to domestic livestock or vice versa, resulting in economic stress being placed on rural communities and national economies. Some zoonotic diseases entail great health risk to the human population with a range of serious consequences. Hunters are stewards of wildlife. They are the largest group in society that voluntarily interacts with wildlife closely and frequently. Hunters have accepted a social obligation, as a group, to detect, and assist in managing wildlife diseases as a pro bono service to society. The World Organization of Animal Health (OIE), being the global platform of veterinarians, and the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC), as a global organization promoting conservation through the sustainable use of wildlife, understood this need for strong cooperation and took action. As keynote speaker Dr. Bernard Vallat, OIE Director General, addressed the CIC General Assembly during the Opening Ceremony. He called upon hunters and the CIC, to make the most of the force they represent in the field: protecting biodiversity, and acting as sentinels for the protection of public health. Dr. Vallat made a strong case for hunter training in the detection, monitoring, and control of wildlife diseases. The patron of the 62nd General Assembly, was the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, H.E. Boyko Borisov, who viewed the selection Pravets as place for the 62nd General Assembly as recognition of Bulgaria’s successful and well-known wildlife management in recent years. After a strong decline of big game 10 to 15 years ago, Bulgaria managed to bring back the wildlife populations to a healthy level for the benefit of future generations.