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.
Effect of an invasive competitor on the welfare of a threatened fish in a soft-release program
Grantee: Rafael Freire
Institutions: Charles Sturt University
Project summary
Invasive fish are common in most freshwater systems, yet their impact on the welfare of resident fish is often ignored. Invasive fish species compete and displace small-bodied native fish in several ways, including by preventing access to refuge sites, preferred foods, breeding grounds, and other important resources. This project will assess the welfare of native fish placed in sites with and without invasive competitors. Welfare will be measured using a novel population-level judgement bias test, differences in telomere attrition, and typical physical correlates of welfare in fish. In addition to revealing the impact of invasive fish on small-bodied fish welfare, this work will also promote greater consideration of the impact of animal translocation and release activities on wild animal welfare.
Grantee: Rafael Freire
Institution: Charles Sturt University, Australia
Grant amount: $20,200
Grant type: Discovery grants
Focal species: Southern pygmy perch (Nannoperca australis)
Conservation status: Endangered
Disciplines: Physiology, animal behavior, ichthyology, cognition
Research locations: Australia
Project summary
Invasive fish are common in most freshwater systems, yet their impact on the welfare of resident fish is often ignored. Invasive fish species compete and displace small-bodied native fish in several ways, including by preventing access to refuge sites, preferred foods, breeding grounds, and other important resources. This project will assess the welfare of native fish placed in sites with and without invasive competitors. Welfare will be measured using a novel population-level judgement bias test developed in 2023 with prior Wild Animal Initiative support. Additional measures of welfare will include differences in telomere attrition and typical physical correlates of welfare in fish. In addition to revealing the impact of invasive fish on small-bodied fish welfare, this work will also promote greater consideration of the impact of animal translocation and release activities on wild animal welfare.
Why we funded this project
This project builds on previous work funded by WAI and has immediate potential to inform freshwater systems restoration strategies with a welfare perspective. We are also pleased to see high-quality and scalable behavioral welfare indicators being developed for fish, a group whose welfare has historically been neglected and especially challenging to study.
The impact of anthropogenic stressors on the affective state of juvenile Murray cod
Grantee: Rafael Freire
Institution: Charles Sturt University
Project summary
Many freshwater fish populations have severely declined as a result of human-caused changes in their environment. Population decline often results from an increased mortality rate experienced on the individual level, with likely implications for the welfare of individuals living through a period of population decline. This study will examine how differences in water quality and the presence of potential predators affect a behavioral indicator of welfare — judgment bias — in juvenile Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii). In the future, data about how juvenile fish respond to these factors could guide interventions for helping juvenile fish survive to adulthood in the wild.
Grantee: Rafael Freire
Institution: Charles Sturt University, Australia
Grant amount: $21,500
Grant type: Challenge grants
Focal species: Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii)
Conservation status: Critically endangered
Disciplines: Animal behavior, sentience, ichthyology
Research location: Australia
Publications
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
Project summary
Many freshwater fish populations have severely declined as a result of human-caused changes in their environment. Population decline often results from an increased mortality rate experienced on the individual level, with likely implications for the welfare of individuals living through a period of population decline. This study will examine how differences in water quality and the presence of potential predators affect a behavioral indicator of welfare — judgment bias — in juvenile Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii). In the future, data about how juvenile fish respond to these factors could guide interventions for helping juvenile fish survive to adulthood in the wild.
Why we funded this project
The vast majority of wild fish do not survive to adulthood, but little is known about their welfare as juveniles and how that might affect their survival. This project will address that by investigating the effects of multiple aspects of habitat quality on the affective state of juvenile Murray cod. An additional factor in us funding this project was that it would be integrated into ongoing fisheries policy work by the PI, which should ultimately lead to advice for the regional government.
