Research
Wild Animal Initiative produces original research to guide our work and catalyze academic activity.
We identify and spotlight research areas with high potential to advance the field. Our research informs our funding priorities and invites the broader scientific community to further investigate key questions about wild animal welfare.
We hold ourselves and the researchers we fund to a high standard of scientific rigor and openness. Learn more →
Our priorities
Review our priorities for the field of wild animal welfare science.
Our researchers
Meet our team of researchers and find their published works.
Papers
Explore research notes, preprints, and other reports on our Library page.
Publications by our researchers
2024
Taking Welfare into Account in Comparative Cognition Research
Baciadonna, L., Castellano Bueno, J., Elliott, V., & Nawroth, C. (2024). Taking Welfare into Account in Comparative Cognition Research. Comparative Cognition & Behavior Reviews, 19, 3-7.
Oxidative status: A general but overlooked indicator of welfare across animal species?
Beaulieu, M. (2024). Oxidative status: A general but overlooked indicator of welfare across animal species? Bioessays, 46(8). https://doi.org/10.1002/bies.202300205
Capturing wild animal welfare: a physiological perspective
Beaulieu, M. (2024). Capturing wild animal welfare: a physiological perspective. Biological Reviews, 99(1), 1-22. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.13009
Plugging biologging into animal welfare: An opportunity for advancing wild animal welfare science
Beaulieu, M., Masilkova, M. (2024) Plugging biologging into animal welfare: An opportunity for advancing wild animal welfare science. Methods in Ecology & Evolution, https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.14441
Improving wild animal welfare through contraception
Eckerström Liedholm, S., Hecht, L., & Elliott, V. (2024). Improving wild animal welfare through contraception. BioScience, https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biae071
2021
The importance of considering age when quantifying wild animals’ welfare
Hecht, L. (2021). The importance of considering age when quantifying wild animals’ welfare. Biological Reviews, 96(6), 2602-2616.
2020
What is the value of wild animal welfare for restoration ecology?
Capozzelli, J. F., Hecht, L., & Halsey, S. J. (2020). What is the value of wild animal welfare for restoration ecology?. Restoration Ecology, 28(2), 267-270.
Featured publications by our grantees
Learn more about all of our grantees in our database, here.
2024
A novel method to measure the impact of water quality on judgement bias in wild juvenile fish
Freire, R. and Nicole, C.J. (2024). A novel method to measure the impact of water quality on judgement bias in wild juvenile fish. Global Ecology and Conservation, 54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e03086
Harnessing the gut microbiome: a potential biomarker for wild animal welfare
Sonnega, S. and Sheriff, M.J. (2024). Harnessing the gut microbiome: a potential biomarker for wild animal welfare. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2024.1474028
2023
Assessing Negative Welfare Measures for Wild Invertebrates: The Case for Octopuses
Andrade M.P., et al. (2023). Assessing Negative Welfare Measures for Wild Invertebrates: The Case for Octopuses. Animals, 13(19), 3021. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13193021
Are you a researcher?
Apply to join our online researcher community.