Wild Animal Initiative funds 26 new wild animal welfare projects
February 22, 2023
Wild Animal Initiative has selected 26 new projects to advance research on wild animal welfare and add to a growing body of scientific data in this area. With more than $700,000 distributed across the projects, we are investing in researchers who show interest in welfare biology. Nearly half of the projects are led by graduate students or postdoctoral researchers, early-career scientists still refining their areas of expertise.
Our 2022 call for proposals prioritized projects that featured:
Innovative methods for measuring wild animal welfare
Innovative methods for monitoring wild animal welfare
Population regulation
Rehabilitation and conservation
We received more than 400 responses, topping the number of responses we received from our first call for proposals.
Though our selected studies cover a range of species and will take place in diverse locations, many of them feature concepts or approaches that could transfer to a great number of individuals living elsewhere in the wild, increasing our chances to further meaningful research for more wild animals. Below, you can read more about each project.
Photo courtesy Jessica X. Wright-Lichter.
Photo courtesy Emma Stone.
Photo courtesy Patrick Tkaczynski.
Photo courtesy Teresa Romero.
Saana Isojunno, Julia Sutherland, and Eve Jourdain. Photos courtesy Saana Isojunno.
Photo courtesy María Díez León.
Photo courtesy Cameron Semper.
Photo courtesy Ross Macleod.
Photo courtesy Laney Hayward Nute.
Photo courtesy Dom Cram.
Mallory Lambert and Johanna Varner.
Photo courtesy Sam Sonnega.
Caroline Deimel. Photo credit: Axel Griesch.
Photo courtesy Meghan Holst.
Photo credit: JAAN.
Photo courtesy Claudia Wascher.
Photo courtesy David Daversa.
Photo courtesy Akshay Bharadwaj.
Photo courtesy Morteza Naderi.
Photo courtesy Paula Serres-Corral.
Photo courtesy Miriam Zemanova.
Photos courtesy Monica Wakefield (left) and Corinna Most (right).
Photo courtesy Lisa Olivier.
Photo courtesy Joe Hediger.
These grants were made possible thanks to the generous support of Open Philanthropy. To discuss how your gift or grant could continue to advance welfare biology, please contact Executive Director Cameron Meyer Shorb.
This post was updated on March 8, 2023, to include additional grantee photos and project summaries.