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.
Field testing a remote, non-invasive method to monitor wild animal welfare through salivary biomarkers
Grantee: Maristela Martins de Camargo
Institutions: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas and FUSP
Project summary
Biological samples are necessary to establish baselines and benchmarks upon which welfare metrics can be developed, but collecting them is generally a stressful and invasive process. Our project aims to elevate the standard by which we collect wildlife samples by introducing a novel method of saliva collection that does not involve immobilizing — or even encountering — the animal being sampled. This project will isolate DNA/RNA from saliva samples of lowland tapirs to detect viruses, as well as health and welfare markers, exploring them within a comparison amongst two regions with varying levels of degradation and human-wildlife conflict and, we assume, associated variations in the welfare and health of wild animals.
Grantee: Maristela Martins de Camargo
Institutions: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Brazil; FUSP, Rwanda
Grant amount: $45,380
Grant type: Seed grant
Focal species: None specified
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Physiology, animal welfare science, wildlife management, genetics/genomics
Research locations: Brazil and Rwanda
Project summary
Biological samples are necessary to establish baselines and benchmarks upon which welfare metrics can be developed, but collecting them is generally a stressful and invasive process. Our project aims to elevate the standard by which we collect wildlife samples by introducing a novel method of saliva collection that does not involve immobilizing — or even encountering — the animal being sampled. This project will isolate DNA/RNA from saliva samples of lowland tapirs to detect viruses, as well as health and welfare markers, exploring them within a comparison amongst two regions with varying levels of degradation and human-wildlife conflict and, we assume, associated variations in the welfare and health of wild animals.
Comparing the welfare of stocked triploid vs native diploid rainbow trout in California
Grantee: Andrew Sharo
Institutions: University of California, Los Angeles
Project summary
Rainbow trout are commonly stocked for recreational fishing throughout the world, but because of their negative impacts on the environment, many state agencies now stock triploid rainbow trout, which are sterile. However, triploid rainbow trout are known to be more sensitive to water temperature and dissolved oxygen, which may impact their welfare in wild environments. This project will use a combination of physiological and behavioral indicators to compare the welfare of diploid and triploid rainbow trout. We will assess the welfare of rainbow trout in ponds across the Los Angeles metropolitan region using qualitative behavioral assessment, neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio, body condition, injury/disease presence, and the expression of stressor-related genes, either non-invasively or through sampling fish caught by recreational anglers.
Grantee: Andrew Sharo
Institution: University of California, Los Angeles, US
Grant amount: $30,000
Grant type: Seed grant
Focal species: Rainbow/steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Ichthyology, genetics/genomics, physiology, animal behavior
Research locations: United States
Project summary
Rainbow trout are commonly stocked for recreational fishing throughout the world, but because of their negative impacts on the environment, many state agencies now stock triploid rainbow trout, which are sterile. However, triploid rainbow trout are known to be more sensitive to water temperature and dissolved oxygen, which may impact their welfare in wild environments. This project will use a combination of physiological and behavioral indicators to compare the welfare of diploid and triploid rainbow trout. We will assess the welfare of rainbow trout in ponds across the Los Angeles metropolitan region using qualitative behavioral assessment, neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio, body condition, injury/disease presence, and the expression of stressor-related genes, either non-invasively or through sampling fish caught by recreational anglers.
The impact of winter food provisioning on the welfare of wild urban hedgehogs
Grantee: Julia Nowack
Institutions: Liverpool John Moores University
Project summary
This project will investigate the welfare impacts of supplemental feeding during winter on European hedgehogs. Hedgehogs and other species have adapted to the lack of natural food during the winter by hibernating. Previous research, however, has suggested that hibernation may be interrupted when anthropogenic food sources are available. This project will use biologgers to collect data on winter activity and hibernation, as well as the animals’ use of specially designed feeding stations equipped with miniature thermal imaging devices, which will be used to non-invasively measure eye temperature as an indicator of physiological stress. Welfare assessment will also be supplemented by data on ectoparasite load, body mass, fecal glucocorticoid concentrations, latency to approach a feeding station, and survival rate for adults and juveniles.
Grantee: Julia Nowack
Institution: Liverpool John Moores University, UK
Grant amount: $29,977
Grant type: Seed grant
Focal species: Western European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Physiology, population ecology, animal behavior
Research locations: United Kingdom
Project summary
This project will investigate the welfare impacts of supplemental feeding during winter on European hedgehogs. Hedgehogs and other species have adapted to the lack of natural food during the winter by hibernating. Previous research, however, has suggested that hibernation may be interrupted when anthropogenic food sources are available. This project will use biologgers to collect data on winter activity and hibernation, as well as the animals’ use of specially designed feeding stations equipped with miniature thermal imaging devices, which will be used to non-invasively measure eye temperature as an indicator of physiological stress. Welfare assessment will also be supplemented by data on ectoparasite load, body mass, fecal glucocorticoid concentrations, latency to approach a feeding station, and survival rate for adults and juveniles.
Why we funded this project
Food provisioning is a potentially important near-term intervention that is already practiced in some contexts, but usually without data on or a primary interest in its wild animal welfare impacts. We appreciate that this project will use a non-invasive approach with multiple physiological and behavioral indicators to evaluate welfare impacts of supplemental feeding on wild European hedgehogs, including juveniles. The results could have implications for the management of other hibernators with access to supplementary feeding, such as dormice, bears, or chipmunks.
Integrating behavioral competency and post-release support for reintroduced wildlife: a shift in paradigm for rehabilitation and beyond
Grantee: Karli Rice Chudeau
Institutions: The Marine Mammal Center, University of California, Davis
Project summary
This project investigates post-release support and monitoring to improve outcomes for rehabilitated juvenile pinnipeds. Post-release support will include familiar cognitive enrichment to help released animals adjust gradually and buffer their affective state. Post-release monitoring will consider metrics such as behavioral diversity, energy expenditure, and body condition, and the animals’ specific behavioral profiles will be compared with those recorded from healthy, wild individuals. These metrics will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of post-release enrichment as an intervention for improving welfare outcomes. Cognitive bias tests for affective state carried out during rehabilitation and prior to release will also be considered as potential predictors of post-release welfare.
Grantee: Karli Rice Chudeau
Institutions: The Marine Mammal Center, University of California, Davis, United States
Grant amount: $30,000
Grant type: Seed grants
Focal species: Northern elephant seal (Mirounga angustirostris), eastern Pacific harbor seal (Phoca vitulina richardii)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Wildlife rehabilitation, animal behavior, animal welfare science
Research location: United States
Project summary
In many cases, the process of releasing a rehabilitated or translocated animal can be traumatic and removes the animal’s agency, potentially weakening their ability to thrive in the wild. This project investigates post-release support and monitoring to improve outcomes for rehabilitated juvenile pinnipeds. Post-release support will include familiar cognitive enrichment to help released animals adjust gradually and buffer their affective state. Post-release monitoring will consider metrics such as behavioral diversity, energy expenditure (distance traveled), and body condition, and the animals’ specific behavioral profiles (e.g. foraging behavior) will be compared with those recorded from healthy, wild individuals. These metrics will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of post-release enrichment as an intervention for improving welfare outcomes. Cognitive bias tests for affective state carried out during rehabilitation and prior to release will also be considered as potential predictors of post-release welfare.
Why we funded this project
We envision a world in which people take responsibility for improving wild animals’ lives and have the knowledge they need to do so effectively. Rehabilitation is a part of that. However, there has been relatively little research on post-release outcomes for rehabilitated animals. Understanding those outcomes and identifying strategies to improve them could have significant welfare implications, especially for the treatment of juvenile animals, whose life trajectories may be powerfully affected by the rehabilitation and release process. We appreciate that this project combines post-release monitoring with both a specific intervention and pre-release tests of affective state that would not be possible in a wild context.
Improving the welfare of wild and captive animals with integrated in-situ and ex-situ behavioural monitoring
Grantee: Sarah Richdon
Institutions: Bristol Zoological Society
Project summary
This project will investigate the welfare impacts of translocating captive-bred white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) into an existing wild population. Both resident and introduced individuals will be fitted with transponders and marked for behavioral monitoring. To evaluate welfare, the researchers will observe social interactions (e.g. aggressive interactions), behavioral diversity, and the animals’ use of their habitat. For example, emigration of native individuals from the focal habitat may be indicative of intraspecific competition intensified by the translocation. Body condition will also be scored as a metric of health and resource access.
Grantee: Sarah Richdon
Institutions: Bristol Zoological Society, United Kingdom
Grant amount: $30,000
Grant type: Seed grants
Focal species: White clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes)
Conservation status: Endangered
Disciplines: Animal welfare science, marine biology
Research location: United Kingdom
Project summary
This project will investigate the welfare impacts of translocating captive-bred white-clawed crayfish (Austropotamobius pallipes) into an existing wild population. Both resident and introduced individuals will be fitted with transponders and marked for behavioral monitoring. To evaluate welfare, the researchers will observe social interactions (e.g. aggressive interactions), behavioral diversity, and the animals’ use of their habitat. For example, emigration of native individuals from the focal habitat may be indicative of intraspecific competition intensified by the translocation. Body condition will also be scored as a metric of health and resource access.
Why we funded this project
We are excited to fund a project focused on the welfare of invertebrates, in this case an aquatic crustacean. The monitoring methods and some findings of this project may also be applicable to other aquatic taxa. Translocation is already a commonly used intervention in conservation, yet its welfare implications are poorly understood. By learning about these, translocation strategies could potentially be improved, and we might gain insights that could be applied to other welfare-motivated interventions.
Integrating nonlethal field and lab assessments of wild fish welfare in the Colorado River in Grand Canyon
Grantee: Isaac Schuman
Institutions: Oregon State University
Project summary
This project will monitor the welfare of three species of fish in the Grand Canyon using a battery of metrics including body condition, gut microbiome, parasite load, and cortisol in skin mucus. The researchers will attempt to validate these as welfare indicators by testing whether they correlate with one another within individual fish, and whether they follow consistent patterns across the three focal species. Finally, they will use long-term population monitoring data to investigate potential correlations between these individual-based welfare indicators and environmental and demographic characteristics of individual study sites, such as food availability and age structure.
Grantee: Isaac Schuman
Institutions: Oregon State University, United States
Grant amount: $30,000
Grant type: Seed grants
Focal species: Flannelmouth sucker (Catostomus latipinnis), humpback chub (Gila cypha), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Physiology, ichthyology, infectious disease
Research location: United States
Project summary
This project will monitor the welfare of three species of fish in the Grand Canyon using a battery of metrics including body condition, gut microbiome, parasite load, and cortisol in skin mucus. The researchers will attempt to validate these as welfare indicators by testing whether they correlate with one another within individual fish, and whether they follow consistent patterns across the three focal species. Finally, they will use long-term population monitoring data to investigate potential correlations between these individual-based welfare indicators and environmental and demographic characteristics of individual study sites, such as food availability and age structure.
Why we funded this project
We appreciate the variety of potential welfare indicators that this study will measure, and that there will be an explicit attempt to test the validity of the indicators for these particular species. It is exciting to see such a comprehensive analysis of wild fish welfare. We are also interested in the project’s comparison of individual welfare indicators to population-level demographic parameters, as better understanding those relationships could help with both identifying welfare threats from more readily available population data, and with predicting indirect impacts of welfare interventions.
Are populations that are well-adapted to their environment less stressed than those that are not?
Grantee: Ryan S. Mohammed
Institutions: Auburn University
Project summary
In this pilot study, wild-caught guppies will be exposed to an apparent threat of predation as researchers transfer water from a tank containing a common predator (pike cichlid) into their tank. The amount of water transferred from the predators’ tank will be varied to simulate a range of predator densities. Cortisol levels will then be measured in the guppies’ tissue and tank water. These tissue and water cortisol measurements will be compared to develop a protocol for inferring the cortisol levels of fish based on non-invasive water measurements. The researchers hypothesize that the strength of the guppies’ physiological stress response (cortisol) will vary with apparent predation risk.
Grantee: Ryan S. Mohammed
Institutions: Auburn University, United States
Grant amount: $30,374
Grant type: Seed grants
Focal species: Guppy (Poecilia reticulata), jumping guabine (Anablepsoides hartii)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Physiology, ichthyology
Research location: Trinidad and Tobago, United States
Project summary
In this project, wild-caught guppies (Poecilia reticulata) will be exposed to an apparent threat of predation by transferring water from a tank containing a common predator (pike cichlid) into their tank. The amount of water transferred from the predators’ tank will be varied to simulate a range of predator densities. Then, cortisol levels will be measured in both the tissue of guppies and the water they are kept in. These tissue and water cortisol measurements will be compared to develop a protocol for inferring the cortisol levels of fish based on non-invasive water measurements. The researchers hypothesize that the strength of the guppies’ physiological stress response (cortisol) will vary with apparent predation risk, and they intend to eventually build on this pilot study by using the developed non-invasive protocol to compare guppies from populations the are adapted to varying intensities of predation.
Why we funded this project
This project will develop a protocol for inferring the cortisol levels of fish based on non-invasive water measurements, which should allow researchers seeking to use cortisol as a metric of physiological stress to avoid needing to kill fish in order to measure the chemical in their tissues. In terms of broader wild animal welfare theory, we also appreciate the project’s focus on the indirect effects of predator-induced fear, which are likely ubiquitous. This project is also intended as a pilot for a larger project that would investigate the impact of evolutionary adaptation to avoid predation on the stress response to the presence of predators.
How do human activities impair the welfare of highly social fish?
Grantee: Joachim Frommen
Institutions: Manchester Metropolitan University
Project summary
This project will investigate the welfare of a common fish species in Lake Tanganyika, the princess cichlid, as they are exposed to varying levels of human activity. Across eight populations representing a range of distances to human settlements and shipping routes, the researchers will monitor behaviors indicative of stress or aggression and measure body condition and the brain tissue expression of five genes involved in stress physiology (glucocorticoid response pathway; crf, cyp11b, gr1, gr2, mr). These welfare indicators will be compared with environmental characteristics including boat noise, water visibility (sedimentary and algal load), human fishing intensity, temperature stress, and structural complexity of the local environment.
Grantee: Joachim Frommen
Institutions: Manchester Metropolitan University, United Kingdom
Grant amount: $28,960
Grant type: Seed grants
Focal species: The princess of Zambia (Neolamprologus pulcher)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Ichthyology, physiology, genetics/genomics
Research location: United Kingdom, Zambia
Project summary
This project will investigate the welfare of a common fish species in Lake Tanganyika, the princess cichlid (Neolamprologus pulcher), as they are exposed to varying levels of human activity. Across eight populations representing a range of distances to human settlements and shipping routes, the researchers will monitor behaviors indicative of stress or aggression, and measure body condition and the brain tissue expression of five genes involved in stress physiology (glucocorticoid response pathway; crf, cyp11b, gr1, gr2, mr). These welfare indicators will be compared with specific environmental characteristics, including boat noise, water visibility (sedimentary and algal load), human fishing intensity, temperature stress, and structural complexity of the local environment.
Why we funded this project
By focusing on an established model system (cichlids), this project is able to benefit from background knowledge of the species’ ecology and behavior and proceed to more neglected welfare questions, as well as potentially engaging a ready audience of cichlid researchers. An especially interesting component of this project is its investigation of brain gene expression to potentially better understand how stress physiology relates to an animal’s subjective experience.
To feed or not to feed wild birds
Grantee: Marion Chatelain
Institution: University of Innsbruck
Project summary
Despite providing otherwise limited resources, bird feeders may attract predators, facilitate the exchange of pathogens, and increase intraspecific conflict. This project will study two common bird species: great tits, who use feeders intensively, and black redstarts, who typically do not use feeders. By monitoring the use of nestboxes in gardens with or without feeders, the project aims to evaluate social stress and competition for nesting sites caused by bird feeding. Fecal samples from nestlings will also be analyzed to understand impacts on stress physiology, growth rate, and ectoparasite load.
Grantee: Marion Chatelain
Institution: University of Innsbruck, Austria
Grant amount: $29,943
Grant type: Seed grants
Focal species: Great tits (Parus major), black redstarts (Phoenicurus ochruros)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Ecological modeling, community ecology
Research location: Austria
Project summary
Bird feeding can provide birds with sustenance through challenging times, such as winter, and in places where they would not be able to find abundant natural foods, such as inner cities. However, bird feeding may also have negative consequences by aggregating birds in one location, attracting predators, facilitating the exchange of pathogens, and increasing intraspecific conflict.
This project will consider two common bird species: great tits, who use feeders intensively, and black redstarts, who typically do not use feeders. By monitoring the use of nestboxes separately targeting these two species, across private gardens that do or do not provide feeders, the project aims to evaluate social stress and competition for nesting sites caused by bird feeding. Fecal samples from nestlings will also be analyzed to understand impacts on stress physiology, growth rate, and ectoparasite load.
Why we funded this project
With the popularity of bird feeding and the density of private gardens in cities, understanding the pros and cons of bird feeding may be crucial for understanding and ultimately improving the welfare of urban birds. We especially appreciate that this project will consider both target and non-target bird species, and focuses on the welfare of juveniles.