Wild animal lives through a welfare lens

Our in-person and online Seminar Series on Wild Animal Lives Through a Welfare Lens is delivered in partnership with the Royal Veterinary College and the Institute of Zoology (Zoological Society of London) as part of the MSc Wild Animal Biology.

Seminar 1

Seminar 2

About the seminar series

Seminar 1  |  October 23

Introduction

This introductory seminar features Dr. Ross Macleod from Liverpool John Moores University, who discusses Developing New Approaches to Measure the Welfare of Wild Animal Populations, with a focus on the use of thermal imaging.

Dr. María Díez-León from the Royal Veterinary College introduces Animal Welfare Science in the Wild, and Dr. Vittoria Elliott from Wild Animal Initiative and the Smithsonian Institution speaks on The Field of Wild Animal Welfare Science: Integrating Welfare, Stress, Behavioral Ecology, Motivations, Personalities, Fitness, and Adaptation.

A panel discussion follows.

Learn more here.

Seminar 2  |  November 20

Animal behavior and welfare

This seminar features Michaella Andrade from Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC) who discusses Wild Octopus welfare: what we know and what we still need to know.

Janire Castellano Bueno from Wild Animal Initiative presents Decoding Wild Animal Experiences Through Observations.

A panel discussion follows with Michaella Andrade and Janire Castellano Bueno, chaired by María Díez León.

Learn more here.

Location

All sessions of this seminar series are hybrid events. You can attend online via Zoom or in-person.

In-person location:

Great Hall, Royal Veterinary College
Royal College Street
London
NW1 0TU
United Kingdom

The Great Hall is directly in front of the entrance. Please ask at reception if you need assistance.

Venue map

Upcoming sessions:

Seminar 3: January 29, 2025

Seminar 4: February 19, 2025

Seminar 5: March 19, 2025

Event organizers

María Díez-León

Co-Organizer

María is a zoologist focused on animal behaviour and welfare, with degrees in Biology (University of Navarra), Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare (University of Edinburgh), and a PhD from the University of Guelph. Her research, supervised by Professor Georgia Mason, explored how housing affects carnivore behaviour and welfare, relevant to conservation breeding. Now faculty at RVC, she investigates animal welfare indicators and the impact of captivity on conservation.

Janire Castellano Bueno (she/her)

Co-Organizer

Janire Castellano Bueno is Wild Animal Initiative’s Outreach Manager. She completed her PhD in Animal Welfare and Affective Neuroscience at Newcastle University. During her doctoral research, she focused on the assessment of long-term welfare of laboratory macaques using a multidisciplinary approach. She has extensive experience in primate welfare and behavior as well as in statistical modeling. Janire is located in Newcastle (UK).
Janire is a member of Wild Animal Initiative’s Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion committee.
janire.castellanobueno@wildanimalinitiative.org

Vittoria Elliott (she/her)

Co-Organizer

Vittoria Elliott is a Research Associate at the Smithsonian Institution. She studies a range of disciplines and taxonomies, from ecosystem modeling to behavioral ecology, population genetics, and environmental DNA. Most recently, she has been conducting research to understand wild animal welfare and implications for wildlife. Vittoria was previously Science Director at Wild Animal Initiative and Conservation International, and a consultant for WorldFish and FAO. She completed her PhD in ecology and evolution at Durham University.