Meet our grantees
Wild Animal Initiative funds academic research on high-priority questions in wild animal welfare.
The goal of our grants program is to fund research that deepens scientific knowledge of the welfare of wild animals in order to better understand how to improve the welfare of as many wild animals as possible, regardless of what causes the threats to their well-being.
We showcase our grantees and their projects here and continuously update this page as new projects are added.
Validating the use of cognitive bias to assess affective valence in wild bird populations.
Grantee: Oliver Burman
Institution: University of Lincoln
Project summary
The goal of this project is to develop and validate a cognitive bias test for assessing the welfare of woodland birds that does not require any training stage, and instead takes advantage of innate attraction and aversion to stimuli that resemble preferred or noxious prey (with a range of likeness accuracy, based on the principle of imperfect Batesian mimicry). Continuing the theme of exploiting natural variation, the project will use spatial variation in numerous components of habitat preferability that can be assumed to directionally affect welfare — such as food abundance and shelter — as natural experiments to validate their cognitive bias tests.
Grantees: Oliver Burman
Institutions: University of Lincoln, United Kingdom
Grant amount: $193,684.17
Grant type: Challenge grant
Focal species: Free-living wild birds, including (but not limited to): blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), great tits (Parus major), wrens (Troglodytes troglodytes), coal tits (Poecile ater), European robins (Erithacus rubecula), chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs), greenfinches (Chloris chloris), starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), blackbirds (Turdus merula) and Eurasian jays (Garrulus glandarius).
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Animal welfare science, ornithology, animal behavior
Research location: United Kingdom
Project summary
Cognitive bias is a robust and validated measure of affective valence effective in a wide variety of animal species. However, this valuable approach has been primarily focused on the welfare assessment of captive animals and has not yet been demonstrated in wild free-living animal populations. This goal is crucial for addressing urgent contemporary issues such as the impact of anthropogenic and climatic change on wild animal welfare and to tackle key conservation challenges. In the first attempt to apply a cognitive judgement bias task in a free-living wild animal population, we found that wild birds struggled to complete the necessary training (discrimination) stage of the cognitive bias task. In the proposed project, our aim is therefore to validate two novel cognitive approaches to assessing affective valence in wild animals that do not require training, in conjunction with established behavioural and physiological indicators of welfare. Firstly, we will investigate a modified cognitive judgement bias task based on the innate avoidance of naturally occurring aversive prey, using the principle of imperfect Batesian mimicry. Secondly, we will modify and validate a cognitive attention bias task that relies on a spontaneous response to a potential threat. Both tasks will be assessed in populations of wild birds using natural variation in affective valence. Our anticipated outcomes are the development of an effective, validated measure of affective valence applicable to wild birds without the need for capture/restraint that can be translated across species; an invaluable tool in the assessment of wild animal welfare in response to a wide variety of environmental challenges.
Why we funded this project
This project’s results are intended to be generalizable to numerous woodland bird species (e.g., tits, wrens, starlings). We also appreciate its creatively humane approach to validation, using innate preferences and natural variation in affective valence, rather than training and experimental manipulation. Plus, the project considers both presumably positive (e.g., food, shelter) and presumably negative (e.g., predator abundance) welfare factors, which further strengthens the validation.
Social connections and their welfare implications in the wild
Grantee: Alex Thornton
Institutions: University of Exeter, University of Bristol
Project summary
This project seeks to understand the relationship between welfare and social interactions in wild bird populations. Using historical data, the researchers will also seek insight into how welfare varies among individuals in relation to the social system, early-life experiences, and interactions among individuals. They will also investigate whether social systems might play a role in helping to mitigate some of the negative anthropogenic impacts on welfare.
Grantee: Alex Thornton
Institutions: University of Exeter, University of Bristol, United Kingdom
Grant amount: $157,962
Grant type: Challenge grants
Focal species: Jackdaws (Coloeus sp.)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Animal behavior, ornithology, animal welfare science
Research location: United Kingdom
Project summary
This project seeks to understand the relationship between welfare and social interactions in wild bird populations. Using historical data, the researchers will also seek insight into how welfare varies among individuals in relation to the social system, early-life experiences, and interactions among individuals. They will also investigate whether social systems might play a role in helping to mitigate some of the negative anthropogenic impacts on welfare.
Why we funded this project
The study findings will help in understanding how wild animals cope with increasing temperatures and the impact of thermal stress on their welfare and health. Notably, previous work has suggested that T3 measurements in ungulates are especially sensitive to thermal stress, and so comparing T3 with other indicators based on different physiological pathways, such as glucocorticoids, could help researchers to diagnose the relative significance of different environmental stressors an animal is facing. The project’s behavioral metrics are also crucial for realizing that potential. A secondary reason for our interest in this project is that it has near-term policy implications, potentially highlighting the value of preserving or promoting specific landscape features for the ecosystem service they offer, in the form of shade, to wild ungulates.
Photos
Thermal imaging as a non-invasive welfare assessment tool for tracking the impact of environmental stressors across wild animal populations
Grantee: Ross MacLeod
Institutions: Liverpool John Moores University
Project summary
This project aims to test and validate a standardized multi-species approach to monitoring physiological stress in wild birds by using thermal imaging cameras to measure the animals’ body surface temperature, which could enable tracking of chronic stress in wild populations facing environmental stressors. Building on pilot work, the project will focus on wild bird populations to develop a standardized thermal imaging methodology capable of monitoring surface temperature of a wide range of wild animals. The methodology will be validated using bird communities visiting 54 standardized feeding and drinking stations spread across the UK, to quantify how changes in surface temperature are linked to starvation risk, predation risk, and human disturbance.
Grantee: Ross MacLeod
Institution: Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom
Grant amount: $29,810
Grant type: Small grants
Focal species: Wild birds
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Physiology, animal welfare science, population ecology, ornithology
Research location: United Kingdom
Project summary
This project aims to test and validate a standardized multi-species approach to monitoring physiological stress in wild birds by using thermal imaging cameras to measure the animals’ body surface temperature, which could enable tracking of chronic stress in wild populations facing different levels of environmental stressors. Building on pilot work, the project will focus on wild bird populations to develop a standardized thermal imaging methodology capable of monitoring surface temperature of a wide range of free-living wild animals. The methodology will be validated using bird communities visiting 54 standardized feeding and drinking stations spread across three urban-rural gradients in the UK, to quantify how changes in surface temperature are linked to starvation risk, predation risk, and human disturbance.
Why we funded this project
This approach to measuring wild animals’ physiological stress levels through thermal imaging analysis has great potential for scalable monitoring of large numbers of individuals and is usable for cross-species comparisons. We appreciated that this team was interested in addressing non-anthropogenic causes of suffering in starvation and predation, and in extending their method to other species that tend to be neglected (e.g., wild rodents). This work also relates to the project by Paul Jerem that we previously funded, creating a longer-term relationship between Wild Animal Initiative and project participants.
Find Ross’ other project, studying house sparrows, here.
Photos
Developing an approach for assessing the welfare of wild birds through the use of bioacoustics analysis
Grantee: Luiza Figueiredo Passos
Institution: Liverpool John Moores University
Project summary
Vocalization analysis has been used to monitor the welfare of farmed animals and animals in laboratories, but lacks validation for wild animals. This project will use passive acoustic monitoring to record wild bird calls throughout the UK. It will identify vocal patterns and chorus characteristics related to various environmental risks that can be used to infer the welfare status of local bird populations across multiple environments. The focal species will be house sparrows, who have undergone a massive population decline and may be facing welfare challenges. Validating acoustic monitoring as a tool for non-invasive welfare monitoring in the wild for the first time will provide a method that could be used to monitor the welfare of wild birds globally.
Grantees: Luiza Figueiredo Passos
Institution: Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom
Grant amount: $29,060
Grant type: Small grants
Focal species: House sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Animal welfare science, ornithology, population ecology, animal behavior
Research location: United Kingdom
Project summary
Vocalisations carry emotional, physiological, and individual information, suggesting that they can serve as potentially useful non-invasive indicators for inferring wild animal welfare. Communication of affective states via vocalization is due to changes in emotions leading to deviations in the nervous system, causing physiological changes within the vocal production systems. Modern sound analysis techniques have provided tools to discriminate, analyze, and classify specific vocalizations, permitting them to be used for monitoring welfare of different farm and laboratory animals. However, this approach lacks validation for wild individuals. This proposal aims to use passive acoustic monitoring to record wild bird calls at different locations in urban, rural, and conservation-managed areas in the UK. This project will follow a comparative approach to identify vocal patterns and chorus characteristics related to different environmental risks (starvation risk, predation risk, human disturbance, etc.) so that these vocal signatures can be used to infer the welfare status of local bird populations across different environments. The focal species will be one of Europe’s most common species, the house sparrow (Passer domesticus). House sparrows provide an ideal first validation as the species has undergone a massive population decline in many parts of its range over the past 50 years, suggesting that its local populations are facing significant welfare challenges. Validating acoustic monitoring as a tool for non-invasive welfare monitoring in the wild for the first time will provide the basis for future application to birds in general, providing a method that could be used to monitor welfare and changes in welfare of wild birds at any location globally.
Project objectives
Objective 1: Evaluate how changes in sparrow welfare driven by changes in risk of starvation can be indicated by changes in the vocal signatures of local populations.
Objective 2: Understand relationship between predation risk driven changes in sparrows’ welfare and the vocal signatures of local populations.
Objective 3: Impact of human disturbance on sparrows’ welfare.
Why we funded this project
This project is very similar to projects by Claudia Wascher and Sam Reynolds. As stated, bioacoustic monitoring is an extremely promising approach because it is minimally invasive and inexpensive. However, it still needs to be validated, and given its potential future value, we felt that it would be best for it to be validated by at least two independent studies. This project was especially appealing because it focuses on such a ubiquitous species (the house sparrow) and is led by a researcher with a strong record in bioacoustics and an understanding of animal welfare science.
Find Luiza’s other project, studying wild newts, here.
Photos
Assessing animal welfare from bioacoustic monitoring in red-billed choughs (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax)
Grantee: Claudia Wascher
Institution: Anglia Ruskin University
Project summary
Bioacoustic monitoring is a well established method of measuring welfare in captive animals, but has not been used in wild animals. This project will assess and validate the use of passive bioacoustic monitoring to assess welfare in a reintroduced population of red-billed choughs. The researchers will conduct a combination of automatic acoustic monitoring using “passive” acoustic recorders and direct observations (recording behavior via videos and monitoring activity during the night with night vision scopes) and “active” acoustic monitoring, using a high-quality directional microphone and parabolic dish. Their approach will allow them to record vocalizations and behavior during natural events expected to influence welfare, such as anthropogenic noise, predation events, intraspecific aggression, resting, or affiliative behaviors.
Grantees: Claudia Wascher
Institution: Anglia Ruskin University, United Kingdom
Grant amount: $18,679
Grant type: Small grants
Focal species: Red-billed chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Animal welfare science, ornithology, population ecology, animal behavior
Research location: United Kingdom
Project summary
In principle, animal vocalizations can be used to identify both positive and negative experiences. Specific vocal characteristics (e.g., mean fundamental frequency) and the rate of occurrence of certain call types can help to quantify animal welfare and are well-established in farm animals such as pigs, horses, cows, and chickens. But although bioacoustic monitoring is a well-established method in captive animals, the method has not been used in wild animals to assess positive and negative emotional states. This project will assess and validate the use of passive bioacoustic monitoring to assess welfare in a reintroduced population of red-billed choughs. The researchers will conduct a combination of automatic acoustic monitoring using “passive” acoustic recorders and direct observations (recording behavior via videos, monitoring activity during the night with night vision scopes, and “active” acoustic monitoring using high-quality directional microphone and parabolic dish). Their approach will allow them to record vocalizations and behavior during natural events expected to influence welfare, such as anthropogenic noise, predation events, intraspecific aggression, resting, or affiliative behaviors.
Why we funded this project
This project will help to validate the use of passive acoustic monitoring to assess welfare states from variation in vocal behavior, which presents a non-invasive, cost-effective tool to assess the impact of positive and negative events on animal welfare. In theory, acoustic monitoring could be used to assess the welfare of a large number of individuals at a time, making it a particularly promising method to investigate.
Photos
Impacts of land-use on social networks in mixed-species bird flocks, with implications for the short-term and long-term welfare of Himalayan birds
Grantee: Akshay Bharadwaj
Institution: Indian Institute of Science
Project summary
This project will use mist-netting and bird-banding, followed by standardized observations of behavior and body condition, to examine the relationship between individual-level social behavior, bird health, and survival within mixed-species bird flocks (MSFs) in Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Feather corticosterone level, ectoparasite load, and other morphological parameters will be used to measure the health of each banded individual. The researcher will also take advantage of a long-term bird-banding dataset, spanning 12 years, to examine the linkages between inter-individual differences in social behavior and the survival of each individual, comparing survival rates and reproductive success in primary and logged forest.
Grantee: Akshay Bharadwaj
Institutions: Indian Institute of Science, India
Grant amount: $15,000
Grant type: Small grants
Focal species: Multi-species birds
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Ornithology, physiology, community ecology, infections disease, population ecology
Research location: India
Project summary
This project will use mist-netting and bird-banding, followed by standardized observations of behavior and body condition, to examine the relationship between individual-level social behavior, bird health, and survival within mixed-species bird flocks (MSFs) in Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh, India. Feather corticosterone level, ectoparasite load, and other morphological parameters will be used to measure the health of each banded individual. The researcher will also take advantage of a long-term bird-banding dataset, spanning 12 years, to examine the linkages between inter-individual differences in social behavior and the survival of each individual, comparing survival rates and reproductive success in primary and logged forest.
Why we funded this project
Understanding the importance of multi-species flocking behavior in birds is relevant to our research priority of understanding indirect welfare effects in ecological systems, which this project approaches in a cost-effective way. We were especially impressed by the quality of the proposal for this project, particularly as it is led by a beginning graduate student in India. Funding this project serves to increase the geographic diversity of our grantee community and therefore of the nascent field of wild animal welfare research.
Photos
Pre- and Post-release Welfare Indicators for Recovery Programs
Grantee: Laney Hayward Nute
Institution: University of Mississippi
Project summary
Captive-raised animals translocated to the wild often suffer high mortality. This project seeks to identify a set of pre- and post-release indicators of welfare to target released Attwater’s prairie chickens for management interventions. Pre-release, the coping styles of birds will be identified during routine cage transfers and handling. Following release, the fine-scale movements of released birds will be traced using customized data loggers. Investigating the association of pre- and post-release behaviors with body condition, daily environment changes, and survival, will identify which birds from future releases will need special attention to aid their survival. The researchers hypothesize that individuals with a more proactive personality will disperse further post-release and suffer higher mortality rates compared to more reactive individuals.
Grantee: Laney Hayward Nute
Institution: University of Mississippi, United States
Grant amount: $30,000
Grant type: Small grants
Focal species: Attwater's Prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido attwateri)
Conservation status: Endangered
Disciplines: Wildlife rehabilitation, animal behavior, ornithology
Research location: United States
Project summary
Captive-raised animals translocated to the wild often suffer high mortality; for example, Attwater’s prairie chickens have had a survival rate of only 17-18% post-release in recent years. The focus of many translocation programs is on investing resources to produce more individuals rather than to improve the welfare of released animals. This project seeks to reduce the stress and suffering of released Attwater's prairie chicken by identifying a set of pre- and post-release indicators of welfare to target individuals for management interventions. Pre-release, the coping styles of individual birds will be identified during routine cage transfers and handling. Following release, the fine-scale movements of released birds will be traced using customized data loggers. By investigating the association of pre- and post-release behaviors with the body condition, daily environment changes, and ultimate survival of these individuals, it will be possible to identify which birds from future releases will need special attention to aid their survival. The researchers hypothesize that individuals with a more proactive (“bold”) personality will disperse further post-release and suffer higher mortality rates compared to more reactive individuals.
Why we funded this project
Understanding of associations between coping style/personality and welfare outcomes/challenges could be used to predict at-risk individuals in need of interventions such as supplemental feeding, translocation, or medical treatment. For wildlife rehabilitation or “headstarting” programs, coping style associations could also be used to inform rearing protocols to promote resilient styles that result in improved individual welfare in the wild.
Photos
Physiological and behavioral effects of nicarbazin on feral urban pigeons (Columba livia)
Grantee: Jessica X. Wright-Lichter
Institution: Tufts University
Project summary
The oral contraceptive Nicarbazin (NCZ) has been shown to be effective in urban pigeons. However, despite evidence that it may limit birds’ ability to cope with high heat, the side-effects of prolonged exposure to NCZ on pigeons have not been studied. In this project, feral pigeons will be treated with NCZ and exposed to increased ambient temperature to assess their responses. Changes in corticosterone levels will be used as a physiological proxy for welfare. The researchers will also look for behavioral correlations by measuring the onset and frequency of heat-mediating behaviors. The behavioral effects of NCZ treatment alone will also be assessed by quantifying impacts on affiliative and aggressive behaviors, social status, and access to feed at bait sites.
Grantee: Jessica X. Wright-Lichter
Institution: Tufts University, United States
Grant amount: $30,000
Grant type: Small grants
Focal species: Urban pigeon (Columba livia domestica)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Physiology, ornithology, animal welfare science
Research location: United States
Project summary
Nicarbazin (NCZ) is an oral contraceptive that has been shown to be effective in feral urban pigeons (Columba livia). However, although it is EPA-approved and widely marketed, no published studies examine the impact of prolonged exposure to NCZ on the pigeons beyond the contraceptive effect. This is concerning because evidence from agricultural use of the compound (where it was originally developed as an antiparasitic drug) suggests that NCZ exposure may limit the ability of birds to cope with high heat.
To study the impact of NCZ treatment on pigeon welfare, especially as a function of heat exposure, feral pigeons will be treated with NCZ for three weeks before being exposed to increased ambient temperature for four hours to assess their physiological and behavioral responses compared to a control group. This project will use changes in levels of the hormone corticosterone as a physiological proxy for welfare in exposed pigeons. The researchers will also look for behavioral correlations by measuring the onset and frequency of heat-mediating behaviors (e.g., panting, wing-spreading). The behavioral (and plausibly welfare-relevant) effects of NCZ treatment alone will also be assessed by quantifying impacts on affiliative and aggressive behaviors, social status, and access to feed at bait sites.
Why we funded this project
We funded this project because we see wildlife fertility control — particularly applied to urban pigeons — as a highly promising near-term intervention. We are especially interested in indirect welfare effects of fertility control (e.g.,on juvenile welfare and survival), but we have also been concerned by the lack of research on direct welfare impacts. This study will focus on direct welfare impacts while also providing some of the first data on NCZ’s effects on pigeon social dynamics, which are likely to be very important determinants of overall welfare. These data could then be used to guide the application of NCZ contraceptives (e.g., their seasonal timing) to maximize pigeon well-being while successfully controlling urban pigeon populations.
Development of novel measures of welfare in juvenile European starlings exposed to nutritional stress
Grantee: Melissa Bateson
Institution: Newcastle University
Project summary
Nutritional stress causes massive mortality in juvenile European starlings and has lifetime welfare consequences for survivors. The aim of this project is to identify the metabolic “fingerprint” of nutritional stress in starling nestlings and to validate molecular biomarkers that can be used to assess the welfare of wild starlings. This project will use untargeted metabolomics to identify multiple novel biomarkers of exposure to nutritional stress. This “fingerprint” will be validated by testing whether it predicts gold-standard behavioral measures of adult affective experience in a cohort of laboratory-raised birds. The aim will be to identify an applicable panel of metabolites that can be measured from feathers and guano.
Grantee: Melissa Bateson
Institution: Newcastle University, United Kingdom
Grant amount: $60,000
Grant type: Challenge grants
Focal species: Starlings (Sturnidae sp.)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Physiology, ornithology
Research location: United Kingdom
Project summary
Juveniles of passerine species such as the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) experience massive mortality, much of which is caused by direct or indirect effects of nutritional stress. Of birds that survive, many will bear the “scars” of early-life stress that have consequences for their welfare. The aim of this project is to identify the metabolic “fingerprint” of nutritional stress in starling nestlings and to validate sensitive and non-invasive molecular biomarkers that can be used to assess the welfare of wild starlings.
This group has been developing the hypothesis that biomarkers of biological age not only predict future morbidity and mortality, but also reflect the quality of an animal’s cumulative lifetime experience. Existing metrics of biological age, particularly telomere length, require invasive blood samples, and measurements are imprecise, meaning that large sample sizes are currently required to obtain significant effects in epidemiological studies. Estimating biological age based on measuring multiple age-related biomarkers (as is typical in the human aging literature) is likely to be more reliable than using telomere length alone.
This project will use untargeted metabolomics to identify multiple novel biomarkers of exposure to nutritional stress in nestling starlings. This “fingerprint” will be validated by testing whether it predicts gold-standard behavioral measures of adult affective experience in a cohort of laboratory-raised birds. Metabolomics measures thousands of small molecules in one biological sample and can be performed on a range of tissues including blood, hair, and urine. The aim will be to identify an applicable panel of metabolites that can be measured cheaply and easily from feathers and the uric acid component of guano.
Why we funded this project
This project should introduce a novel indicator of long-term welfare that is less invasive, requires fewer resources, and is potentially more reliable than similar existing methods. The PI is a world leader in the field of animal behavior and is the main originator of using biological aging to understand long-term animal welfare, especially in non-model species. For that reason, we are especially confident in this work being high-quality and having great academic reach and influence.
Photos
Evaluating short- and long-term impacts of injury and illness on wild bird welfare
Grantee: Katie LaBarbera
Institution: San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory
Project summary
Surprisingly little is known about how illness and injury impact the welfare and survival of wild animals, as detecting and assessing injuries and tracking animals to determine their fates is challenging. Yet bird banding stations and wildlife rescues require this information to decide whether birds can be ethically released with long-term impairments. This project will use the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (SFBBO)’s long-term bird-banding dataset, which spans over 30 years and 100,000 captures, to investigate these questions in wild birds. Bird banding involves close examination of wild individuals who are frequently recaptured over time. With a high rate of recapture, the SFBBO tracks individuals over years, monitoring their injuries and health, and estimating survival.
Grantee: Katie LaBarbera
Institution: San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory, United States
Grant amount: $20,000
Grant type: Challenge grants
Focal species: Wild birds
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Wildlife rehabilitation, ornithology
Research location: United States
Project summary
There is surprisingly little known about how illness and injury impact the experience of wild animals. Studying such patterns can be limited by the challenges of detecting and assessing injuries and then following up to determine individual fate in wild animals. The San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory’s (SFBBO) long-term bird-banding dataset (>30 years and >100,000 captures) is well-suited to address these questions in wild birds.
Bird banding involves close examination of wild individuals, and individuals are frequently recaptured over time. The SFBBO has a high rate of recapture, which allows them to track individuals over years and to estimate survival, tracking the state of injuries and bird health over multiple years. Understanding how injury impacts individual welfare and survival is of both intellectual and practical value. Bird banding stations vary considerably in their criteria for deciding whether an injured bird should be released or taken to a wildlife rescue. Wildlife rescues must in turn decide whether birds can be ethically released with long-term impairments; for example, many rescues will euthanize rather than release one-legged songbirds. Banding stations and wildlife rescues need real data on wild birds' experiences and prognoses to inform such policies; otherwise, they risk enacting harm.
Why we funded this project
With thousands of wild animal rehabilitation centers in the US alone, this study could provide information that would allow wild animal rehab staff to make data-driven decisions about their bird patients. We think there may be potential to greatly grow interest in the wild animal welfare community via connections with wild animal rehabilitation groups, and this project could provide connections to that community. The project also advances one of our core goals — understanding what wild animals’ lives are like — using an existing and humanely acquired dataset, by providing data on injury rates, severity, and recovery processes. The data could be used to define a metric of “time spent suffering” for injured songbirds.
Photos
