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.
Does DNA methylation reflect environmental and social adversity?
Grantee: Daniel T. Blumstein
Institution: University of California, Los Angeles
Project summary
This project will investigate the welfare effects of early cumulative adversity in free-living yellow-bellied marmots. It will look for associations between the adversity index and behaviors that indicate general wariness (flight initiation distance, time allocated to vigilance while foraging, the propensity to emit alarm calls while foraging); biomarkers that indicate physiological stress (fecal glucocorticoid levels, neutrophil:lymphocyte ratios); and two measures of aging (telomere length and DNA methylation). By quantifying these behavioral indices of wariness and the suite of biomarkers that culminate in telomeres and epigenetic state in pups throughout their first year and in older animals throughout their lives, the project will determine whether adverse environmental experiences have immediate and lasting effects on welfare.
Grantees: Daniel T. Blumstein, Emily Renkey
Institution: University of California, Los Angeles, US
Grant amount: $219,900
Grant type: Challenge grants
Focal species: Yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventer)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Population ecology, genetics/genomics, ecological modeling, physiology
Research locations: United States
Project summary
In humans, early cumulative adversity has demonstrable consequences for health, welfare, and longevity. The welfare consequences of early adversity in wild animals is less well understood, possibly reflecting insufficient measures for assessment. Using a recently validated approach to quantifying cumulative adversity in free-living yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer), this project will investigate the welfare effects of early cumulative adversity. It will look for associations between the adversity index and key behaviors that indicate general wariness (flight initiation distance, time allocated to vigilance while foraging, and the propensity to emit alarm calls while foraging), biomarkers that indicate physiological stress (fecal glucocorticoid levels, neutrophil:lymphocyte ratios), and ultimately, two measures of aging (telomere length and DNA methylation). By quantifying these behavioral indices of wariness and the suite of biomarkers that culminate in telomeres and epigenetic state in pups throughout their first year and in older animals throughout their lives, the project will determine whether adverse environmental experiences have immediate and lasting effects on welfare.
Why we funded this project
This project will add welfare to the research portfolio of a long-running study system of a free-living mammal. It will contribute to understanding the validity of biological aging as a welfare indicator by pairing it with other indicators and a comprehensive dataset of the animals’ adverse early-life experiences.
Stranding: a blessing or a curse? Testing assumptions of fish welfare during habitat fragmentation
Grantee: Laura R. Stein
Institution: University of Oklahoma
Project summary
Fragmentation of freshwater habitats due to drought and heatwaves poses significant risks to aquatic organisms, particularly small fish, who are often overlooked in animal welfare studies. While fragmentation is generally considered detrimental to fish welfare — leading to stress, reduced social interactions, and increased mortality — there is also potential for positive welfare effects, such as reduced predation pressure or temperature-induced metabolic benefits. This project will use threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) as a model system to: 1) validate tests of fish welfare for use in the field (indicators include metabolic scope, cortisol release rate, attention bias, and behavioral expression), and 2) test the hypothesis that fish stranded in fragmented areas experience different welfare outcomes compared to those in connected river regions.
Grantees: Laura R. Stein, Justine Rionach McCarthy
Institution: University of Oklahoma, US
Grant amount: $136,365
Grant type: Challenge grants
Focal species: Threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Physiology, animal behavior, ichthyology
Research locations: United States
Project summary
Fragmentation of freshwater habitats due to drought and heatwaves poses significant risks to aquatic organisms, particularly small fish, who are often overlooked in animal welfare studies. While fragmentation is generally considered detrimental to fish welfare — leading to stress, reduced social interactions, and increased mortality — there is also potential for positive welfare effects, such as reduced predation pressure or temperature-induced metabolic benefits. This project will use threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) as a model system to: 1) validate tests of fish welfare for use in the field (indicators include metabolic scope, cortisol release rate, attention bias, and behavioral expression), and 2) test the hypothesis that fish stranded in fragmented areas experience different welfare outcomes compared to those in connected river regions.
Why we funded this project
This project will integrate multiple welfare indicators to evaluate behavioral and physiological responses, contributing to a deeper understanding of how environmental fragmentation impacts individual fish welfare, and developing non-invasive field methods for use on small fish species. This project also supports a Wild Animal Initiative fellow, PhD candidate Rionach McCarthy, who has a strong interest in welfare.
Remote welfare assessment in wildlife using stand-off Raman spectroscopy
Grantees: Jose Gonzalez-Rodriguez and Teresa Romero
Institution: University of Lincoln
Project summary
This project aims to develop a stand-off Raman spectroscopy system as a non-invasive tool to assess hormonal levels in wild animals, which can be integrated into welfare assessments. The project also aims to validate under standardized and natural conditions how biomarkers of long-term stress relate to a range of stressors that may affect wild animal welfare. They will use a combination of socio-positive (e.g., play, grooming) and negative (e.g., aggression, screaming) behaviors, indices of social integration, behavioral indicators of anxiety (i.e., self-directed behaviors), and resting behavior, as well as physical indicators of welfare (body condition, instances of injury).
Grantees: Jose Gonzalez-Rodriguez and Teresa Romero
Institution: University of Lincoln, UK
Grant amount: $55,519
Grant type: Discovery grants
Focal species: Tufted capuchin monkeys (Sapajus apella)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Physiology, animal behavior
Research locations: United Kingdom, United States
Project summary
To enhance the welfare of wild animals, it is crucial to continuously monitor biomarkers and other metrics that can indicate changes in their welfare. However, this presents the challenge of obtaining repeated measurements from individuals, which often involves capture, restraint, and/or handling — procedures that can have significant negative welfare impacts on free-living wild animals. This project aims to develop a stand-off Raman spectroscopy system as a non-invasive tool to assess hormonal levels in wild animals, which can be integrated into welfare assessments. The project also aims to validate under standardized and natural conditions how biomarkers of long-term stress relate to a range of stressors that may affect wild animal welfare. They will use a combination of socio-positive (e.g., play, grooming) and negative (e.g., aggression, screaming) behaviors, indices of social integration, behavioral indicators of anxiety (i.e., self-directed behaviors), and resting behavior, as well as physical indicators of welfare (body condition, instances of injury).
Why we funded this project
This project builds on a previous WAI-funded project, which validated the use of Raman spectroscopy as an efficient way of testing hormones in hair. It will test whether this method can be used to measure hair cortisol levels from a distance, potentially helping to make the use of this indicator more scalable for long-term monitoring in the field, and reducing the need for distressing or invasive methods for welfare assessment.
Assessing the Impact of Ectoparasites on Nestling Welfare: Validating Behavioral and Physiological Indicators in Darwin’s Finches
Grantee: Sabine Tebbich
Institution: University of Vienna
Project summary
Nestling finches are particularly vulnerable to blood-sucking ectoparasites because they lack the ability to preen, dust-bathe, or escape infested nests. Invasive parasites are especially detrimental to bird welfare because naïve hosts lack behavioral adaptations such as nest sanitation or preening, and hosts often suffer from exceptionally high parasite loads. This project aims to integrate behavioral (breathing rate and sleep duration) and physiological (haematocrit, baseline corticosterone, oxidative stress and telomere length) indicators to assess the welfare impact of the bloodsucking larvae of the avian vampire fly (Philornis downsi) on nestlings of Galápagos finches.
Grantee: Sabine Tebbich
Institution: University of Vienna, Austria
Grant amount: $42,000
Grant type: Discovery grants
Focal species: Green warbler-finches (Certhidae olivacea) and small ground finches (Geospiza fuliginosa)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Physiology, animal behavior, ornithology, infectious disease
Research locations: Austria, United States, Ecuador
Project summary
Nestling finches are particularly vulnerable to blood-sucking ectoparasites because they lack the ability to preen, dust-bathe, or escape infested nests. Invasive parasites are especially detrimental to bird welfare because naïve hosts lack behavioral adaptations such as nest sanitation or preening, and hosts often suffer from exceptionally high parasite loads. This project aims to integrate behavioral (breathing rate and sleep duration) and physiological (haematocrit, baseline corticosterone, oxidative stress and telomere length) indicators to assess the welfare impact of the bloodsucking larvae of the avian vampire fly (Philornis downsi) on nestlings of Galápagos finches.
Why we funded this project
We appreciate the diversity of welfare indicators this project will bring to bear on an important threat to the welfare of juveniles (an especially abundant and neglected life stage) in this species. By examining correlations between these putative welfare indicators, the project will contribute to understanding their validity, both individually and as a combined index, with potential transferability to other species and research questions.
A quest for a non-lethal method to assess spiders’ welfare in the urban environment
Grantee: Alessandra Costanzo
Institution: University of Milan
Project summary
This pilot project aims to develop welfare indicators for the orb-weaver spider Araneus angulatus, a species commonly found in urban settings. Juveniles will be exposed to urban stressors such as non-lethal mosquito-repellent pesticides, elevated temperatures simulating the Urban Heat Island effect, and changes in food availability. Once they reach adulthood, the effects of these stressors on individuals will be assessed using physiological (biomarkers of oxidative stress, detoxification, neurotoxicity, and energy metabolism) and morphological (body size, mass, and fluctuating asymmetry) indicators, and behavioral endpoints (prey capture rates and web structure). By integrating these measures, the project aims to triangulate spider welfare across multiple domains and improve our understanding of how urban stressors affect individual well-being.
Grantee: Alessandra Costanzo
Institution: University of Milan, Italy
Grant amount: $27,000
Grant type: Discovery grants
Focal species: Orb-weaver (Araneidae) and long-jawed orb-weaver spiders (Tetragnathidae)
Conservation status: n/a
Disciplines: Physiology, animal behavior
Research locations: Italy
Project summary
Urban areas are the fastest-growing habitat type worldwide, causing significant loss of other types of habitats and biodiversity declines, while also potentially reducing the welfare of some individual animals through sublethal stress. While urban wildlife research has mainly focused on charismatic species like birds and pollinators, less attention has been given to neglected taxa such as spiders. This pilot project aims to develop welfare indicators for the orb-weaver spider Araneus angulatus, a species commonly found in urban settings. Juveniles will be exposed to urban stressors such as non-lethal mosquito-repellent pesticides, elevated temperatures simulating the Urban Heat Island effect, and changes in food availability. Once they reach adulthood, the effects of these stressors on individuals will be assessed using physiological (biomarkers of oxidative stress, detoxification, neurotoxicity, and energy metabolism) and morphological (body size, mass, and fluctuating asymmetry) indicators, and behavioral endpoints (prey capture rates and web structure). By integrating these measures, the project aims to triangulate spider welfare across multiple domains and improve our understanding of how urban stressors affect individual well-being.
Why we funded this project
This project advances wild animal welfare science by introducing a multi-indicator framework for assessing welfare in an arachnid, a taxonomic group largely neglected in welfare research.
Examining mechanistic relationships between metabolic rates, wild bird welfare and impacts of selective logging on eastern Himalayan birds
Grantee: Akshay Bharadwaj
Institution: Indian Institute of Science
Project summary
Animals must balance energy spent with energy consumed, and can only persist in habitats that allow for this balance. All warm-blooded animals have a Basic Survival Cost (BSC) required for basal metabolism and thermoregulation. This project aims to understand how basic survival costs (BSC) affect wild bird welfare in the Eastern Himalayas. Using a combination of thermal imaging, respirometry, and ambient-temperature humidity data, we will estimate BSC in free-living birds across habitat gradients. Subsequently, the project will relate the BSC to multiple welfare indicators, allowing a triangulation of a bird's lived experience. By linking energy metabolism with welfare outcomes, this work will provide a novel, mechanistic perspective on wild animal welfare in an understudied tropical system.
Grantee: Akshay Bharadwaj
Institution: Indian Institute of Science, India
Grant amount: $37,500
Grant type: Discovery grants
Focal species: Understory insectivorous/frugivorous birds including the yellow-throated fulvetta, rusty-fronted barwing, and coral-billed scimitar babbler
Conservation status: n/a
Disciplines: Physiology, ornithology
Research locations: India
Project summary
Animals must balance energy spent with energy consumed, and can only persist in habitats that allow for this balance. All warm-blooded animals have a Basic Survival Cost (BSC) required for basal metabolism and thermoregulation. This project aims to understand how basic survival costs (BSC) affect wild bird welfare in the Eastern Himalayas. Using a combination of thermal imaging, respirometry, and ambient-temperature humidity data, we will estimate BSC in free-living birds across habitat gradients. Subsequently, the project will relate the BSC to multiple welfare indicators, allowing a triangulation of a bird's lived experience. By linking energy metabolism with welfare outcomes, this work will provide a novel, mechanistic perspective on wild animal welfare in an understudied tropical system.
Why we funded this project
This project builds on previous WAI-funded research and will provide insight into the relationship between welfare and energy expenditure, a commonly measured ecological parameter. Better understanding this relationship could prove useful in anticipating the welfare impacts of ecological changes, such as selective logging (the direct priority of this study).
Swan Lake: Assessing the welfare of urban mute swans
Grantee: Irena Uzelac
Institution: Animal Rescue Serbia
Project summary
This project investigates how human-provided food, environmental conditions, and injuries affect the welfare of mute swans in urban Belgrade. The project will assess welfare using indicators such as body condition, visible deformities, injury rates, and behavior patterns like foraging and aggression. By comparing sites with different levels of human feeding and variations in temperature, the project aims to understand how these factors shape swan health and behavior. Reproductive success and juvenile survival will also be monitored to evaluate long-term welfare outcomes. A mix of behavioral observation, environmental monitoring, and welfare scoring will be used, integrating both natural and anthropogenic stressors. The ultimate goal is to develop ecologically valid welfare indicators that reflect real-world challenges faced by urban wildlife.
Grantee: Irena Uzelac
Institution: Animal Rescue Serbia, Serbia
Grant amount: $10,000
Grant type: Seed grants
Focal species: Mute swan (Cygnus olor)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Ornithology, animal behavior, physiology
Research locations: Serbia
Project summary
This project investigates how human-provided food, environmental conditions, and injuries affect the welfare of mute swans (Cygnus olor) in urban Belgrade. The project will assess welfare using indicators such as body condition, visible deformities (e.g., angel wing), injury rates, and behavior patterns like foraging and aggression. By comparing sites with different levels of human feeding and variations in temperature, the project aims to understand how these factors shape swan health and behavior. Reproductive success and juvenile survival will also be monitored to evaluate long-term welfare outcomes. A mix of behavioral observation, environmental monitoring, and welfare scoring will be used, integrating both natural and anthropogenic stressors. The ultimate goal is to develop ecologically valid welfare indicators that reflect real-world challenges faced by urban wildlife.
Why we funded this project
This project will help address the question of how food from humans and urban environmental stressors affect the health and welfare of wild birds by applying practical welfare indicators in a free-living, urban population of mute swans. While this question has been longstanding, most research has been limited to narrower health (disease) or demographic impacts. We hope that this project will provide information on when and how anthropogenic food might be a welfare threat or opportunity.
Validating body posture as a novel marker of well-being in animals
Grantee: Nicole Koyama
Institution: Liverpool John Moores University
Project summary
A few studies on nonhuman primates have found that a hunched posture is a response to social separation and physical inflammation, but research linking whole body posture and physiological measures of welfare is lacking. This project will combine established measures of affective valence (nasal temperature) and arousal (iris-pupil ratio) to validate body posture as a new measure of affective valence. Two months of video data will be collected and used for thermal imaging, behavioral, and postural analysis from groups of wild Barbary macaques, along with pilot data for comparison from non-human primate zoo animals. Ultimately, the project aims to share a new validated measure and conceptual framework that can be applied to a range of wild mammals.
Grantee: Nicola Koyama
Institution: Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom
Grant amount: $9,995
Grant type: Seed grants
Focal species: Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus)
Conservation status: Endangered
Disciplines: Primatology, animal behavior, physiology
Research locations: United Kingdom, Morocco
Project summary
A few studies on non-human primates have found that a hunched posture is a response to social separation and physical inflammation, but research linking whole body posture and physiological measures of welfare is lacking. This project will combine established measures of affective valence (nasal temperature) and arousal (iris-pupil ratio) to validate body posture as a new measure of affective valence. Two months of video data will be collected and used for thermal imaging, behavioral, and postural analysis from groups of wild Barbary macaques, along with pilot data for comparison from non-human primate zoo animals. Ultimately, the project aims to share a new validated measure and conceptual framework that can be applied to a range of wild mammals.
Why we funded this project
This project will validate an indicator for assessing welfare that could be relevant across primates, and provide proof of concept for its application in the field.
An Evaluation of Effective Disturbance Mitigation Measures for European Badgers (Meles meles) Occupying Setts During Forestry Operations
Grantee: Stephen McAuliffe
Institution: University of Brighton and Forest Research
Project summary
In order to avoid possible disturbance to European badgers, forestry guidance in England states that activities using heavy machinery should be prohibited within 20 meters of active badger setts. This research aims to validate that the approved noise and vibration mitigation buffer distances intended to prevent disturbance from anthropogenic activities are effective. Observations of badger behavior will be made in woodland habitats, and fecal cortisol metabolites will be collected for analysis. If changes in behavior and increases in cortisol levels are not found following exposure to forestry noise and vibration greater than 20 meters away, robust evidence will be provided to validate that badger welfare is not being adversely impacted by legally sanctioned forestry activities.
Grantee: Stephen McAuliffe
Institution: University of Brighton and Forest Research, United Kingdom
Grant amount: $10,137
Grant type: Seed grants
Focal species: European badger (Meles meles)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Animal behavior, physiology, mammalogy, human-wildlife conflicet
Research locations: United Kingdom
Project summary
In order to avoid possible disturbance to European badgers (Meles meles), forestry guidance in England states that activities using heavy machinery should be prohibited within 20 meters of active badger setts. However, this commonly adopted mitigation measure has never been scientifically assessed. As a result, it relies on the untested assumption that noise and vibrations do not disturb badgers if a buffer zone of 20 meters is maintained between forestry operations and setts. This research aims to validate that the approved noise and vibration mitigation buffer distances intended to prevent disturbance from anthropogenic activities are effective. Observations of badger behavior will be made in woodland habitats, and fecal cortisol metabolites will be collected for analysis. If changes in behavior and increases in cortisol levels are not found following exposure to forestry noise and vibration greater than 20 meters away, robust evidence will be provided to validate that badger welfare is not being adversely impacted by legally sanctioned forestry activities.
Why we funded this project
This project will help us understand the welfare impacts of anthropogenic disturbance on a common mammal, and could lead to a very near-term intervention to mitigate them if the project results in a recommendation to increase buffer distances. We hope it will set a precedent for testing and improving animal welfare protection methods routinely advised and adopted by many land-based sectors such as forestry, utilities providers, construction and agriculture.
Assessment of welfare impacts of parasites and pathogens on migratory flamingos among Salt Lakes of East Africa
Grantee: Robert Modest Byamungu
Institution: Sokoine University of Agriculture
Project summary
This project will investigate the effects of parasites and pathogens on the welfare of two flamingo species ― the greater flamingo and the lesser flamingo — in the Salt Lakes of East Africa using non-invasive methods. To achieve this, the project will establish two sites: an experimental site and a control site. At both sites, it will (i) estimate parasites and pathogens loads, (ii) assess stress behaviour, (iii) quantify stress physiology and, (iv) monitor food resources of flamingos. Welfare will be assessed through behaviors (e.g., body scratching and feathers plucking), as well as signs of stress (e.g., fecal cortisol levels). The project helps provide an understanding on how environmental pressures impact wild animals' quality of life.
Grantee: Robert Modest Byamungu
Institution: Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania
Grant amount: $9,920
Grant type: Seed grants
Focal species: Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Ornithology, animal behavior, physiology, infectious disease
Research locations: Tanzania
Project summary
This project seeks to deepen understanding of flamingo migration among the Salt Lakes of East Africa by looking at the role of parasites and pathogens on the welfare of two flamingo species ― the greater flamingo and the lesser flamingo — using non-invasive methods. To achieve this, the project will establish two sites: an experimental site and a control site. At both sites, it will (i) estimate parasites and pathogens loads, (ii) assess stress behaviour, (iii) quantify stress physiology and, (iv) monitor food resources of flamingos. Welfare will be assessed through behaviors (e.g., body scratching and feathers plucking), as well as signs of stress (e.g., fecal cortisol levels). The project helps provide an understanding on how environmental pressures impact wild animals' quality of life.
Why we funded this project
Flamingos are a highly numerous species, so the findings of this project have the potential to help researchers understand the welfare of a large number of individuals. Migration of other group-living animals may also be influenced by welfare, so the results may also be translatable to other species.