This study likely underestimates the broad nature of risk associated with the importation of wild animals. We examined only families in the class Mammalia that have been shown to harbor risk zoonoses; however, many pathogens routinely cross boundaries at least as high as the class level (e.g., human psittacosis from birds), if not higher. Furthermore, we included only live animals in this analysis; recent outbreaks associated with animal products (e.g., cutaneous anthrax from an imported goat hide used for making drums) attest to the risks associated even with dead animals (13) . Finally, the study can neither estimate the risk for unknown pathogens, which may be imported but not yet identifi ed, nor assess the volume and zoonotic risk created by illegal wildlife trade. Animals may be smuggled specifi cally because they have been banned from trade as a result of perceived or recognized health threats. Some animals on our list of risk zoonoses have already been banned from importation (e.g., masked palm civets, birds from countries affected by highly pathogenic avian infl uenza [H5N1]) (14) . However, pathogens have been identifi ed in illegally imported wildlife; e.g., a pair of crested hawkeagles (Spizaetus nipalensis) smuggled from Thailand and recently confi scated in Belgium were infected with highly pathogenic avian infl uenza (H5N1) (15) .