Transboundary animal diseases (TADs) are epidemic diseases which are highly transmissible and have the potential for rapid spread, causing serious socio-economic and possibly public health consequences. Some TADs are infections shared with wildlife (shared infections) and these represent a social-ecological problem with the potential to affect both agriculture and wildlife conservation. This presentation reviews the role of wildlife as indicators, victims, bridge hosts, or maintenance hosts for six TADs of special concern for Europe. We observe that wildlife are always indicator species, sometimes victims of disease outbreaks, and often relevant for disease management. In an ever-changing world, wildlife deserves to become a key component of future integrated surveillance and disease control strategies.