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Why give to Wild Animal Initiative?
Wild Animal Initiative is a US-based nonprofit organization that works internationally to accelerate science that helps wild animals, one of the most neglected groups in people’s moral circles. With so much unknown about what wild animals' lives are like and what conditions allow them to individually thrive, we don’t yet know the best scalable ways to help them. But as we bring more researchers into the field and they advance our understanding of wild animal welfare, we can start to close those knowledge gaps and identify interventions that are both safe and maximally effective.
Advocates will then apply these research insights to lobby for policies and practices that are scientifically shown to be net-positive for wild animals.
Some areas of wild animal welfare research will advance more quickly than others. Similar to other social movements, this progress will take years, and we expect failures along the way. But eventually we’ll see the change we envision: A world where research informs decisions that affect wild animals, with consideration for their welfare.
Our field-building strategy is no longer just hypothetical: It’s working.
We define success by growth in three areas: new knowledge about wild animal welfare, resources being directed to the field, and the global membership of the wild animal welfare research community.
As of this year, the researchers on our staff have published 7 peer-reviewed journal articles, which have collectively been cited 65 times, and we have presented our research or led workshops at # scientific conferences. We have awarded grants to 84 research teams so far, and they are also making progress toward new research insights. Our online community of researchers, students, and professionals in other relevant industries has grown to nearly 600 members.
Wild Animal Initiative is one of the most impactful giving opportunities assessed by Animal Charity Evaluators.
