Rehabilitating wild animal welfare: A focus on veterinary rescue and rehabilitation interventions

Michaël Beaulieu
Written By Michaël Beaulieu

Authored by Wild Animal Initiative’s Senior Researcher, Michaël Beaulieu, this paper was published in the April 2025 issue of Research in Veterinary Science.

A seagull stands atop a mossy cliff with their offspring.

Abstract

  • Conservation considerations are often put forward to justify wildlife veterinary interventions.

  • Paradoxically, the conservation impact of such interventions is often uncertain.

  • These interventions, however, have a clear impact on the welfare of wild animals.

  • This confusion is likely related to the connection between animal conservation and welfare.

  • Veterinarians need to explicitly recognize the welfare value of their interventions on wildlife.

Michaël Beaulieu

Michaël is a Senior Researcher at Wild Animal Initiative. Michaël completed his veterinary studies at the University of Nantes and his PhD on the ecophysiology and behavioral ecology of penguins at the University of Strasbourg. In his post-docs, he mostly worked on songbirds and butterflies. He has taught animal ecology and conservation, and organized ornithological excursions. Michaël has spent much time in polar regions (as a researcher and a naturalist guide) and is currently located in Germany.

michael.beaulieu@wildanimalinitiative.org

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