Public attitudes towards animals are often contradictory. In developed countries where the problem of food security has been solved to a large degree, public concern is concentrated on food safety and animal welfare, along with a debate on the social status of both domestic and wild animals. Zoonoses are often the focal point of these concerns. In developing countries (which often have the greatest biodiversity), wildlife constitutes an uncontrollable source of often unknown zoonoses. The authors attempt to analyse the link between animals and public health. Special attention is given to the example of cowpox, a disease which has been recognised as a zoonosis for more than two centuries but the epidemiology of which has recently been rediscovered.