Getting started in wild animal welfare science
Explore foundational resources for researchers.
Introduction to the field
Learn the fundamentals of wild animal welfare science, including how the field defines welfare, how it’s assessed in the wild, and what questions researchers are investigating.
Glossary: Key terminology
Blog series: Core concepts
Research questions: The scope of wild animal welfare science
State of the field
Wild animal welfare science is a growing field. Learn about the people conducting research in the field and the institutions supporting it, and explore the scientific literature.
Database of projects we’ve funded: Meet our grantees
Notable papers:
Social information about others' affective states in a human-altered world (Hahn et al. 2026)
The emerging field of wild animal welfare science (Elliott et al. 2026)
Improving wild animal welfare through contraception (Eckerström Liedholm et al. 2024)
The importance of considering age when quantifying wild animals’ welfare (Hecht 2021)
Degree and course offerings that contain wild animal welfare contente (contact us for details):
MSc in International Animal Welfare, Scotland’s Rural College
Wild Animal Welfare Program, New York University
Master of Wildlife Biology Program, University of Guelph
Animal Welfare MRes, Newcastle University
Click/tap chart to enlarge.
Resources
Explore opportunities for funding, join the community, and keep on top of the latest developments in the field.
Funding information: Our research grants
Services: Services for researchers
Listserv: Join our research community
Calendar: Upcoming events
Guide: Researcher's starter guide
Newsletter: Sign up to our mailing list
Further reading
Dive deeper into topics in wild animal welfare science.
Video: Methods workshop
Library: Our research library
Blog: Our blog
Blog post: Getting started in wild animal welfare research
Blog post: A day in the life of a wild animal welfare scientist
About Wild Animal Initiative
Wild Animal Initiative offers funding, provides researcher services, and conducts research to accelerate progress in the field.
Team: Meet our staff researchers
Policy: Our research standards
People: Our grants review panels
Frequently asked questions: FAQ
Donate: Support our work
Grants Manager Tanya Payne, Researcher Janire Castellano Bueno, and Science Director Luke Hecht attend AWRN 2025.
Our collaborators
We’re excited to have collaborated with several institutions and organizations on a range of projects, initiatives, and activities related to research, education, and community building in wild animal welfare science. Below are some of our current and past collaborators.
Collaboration opportunities
We welcome enquiries from institutions regarding institutional partnerships, and from organizations or individuals interested in organizing activities related to wild animal welfare science (WAWS). This may include hosting or inviting us to contribute to talks, seminars, workshops, panel discussions, or other events focused on wild animal welfare.
University lecturers, professors, and other teaching staff interested in integrating WAWS topics into their curricula or courses are also encouraged to contact us. We would be pleased to discuss potential teaching resources, guest lectures, course content, or other forms of academic collaboration.
For enquiries regarding research collaborations, events, talks, teaching, or other opportunities related to WAWS, or if you’d like to get in touch with us or our network regarding an institutional partnership, please contact science@wildanimalinitiative.org.