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.

Seed, Netherlands, Invertebrates, Malacology, Cognition, Physiology, Not evaluated, 2026, Not published Wild Animal Initiative Seed, Netherlands, Invertebrates, Malacology, Cognition, Physiology, Not evaluated, 2026, Not published Wild Animal Initiative

Decoding aquatic mollusk welfare: an investigation of potential physiological and cognitive indicators

Grantee: Laura Webb

Institution: Wageningen University, Netherlnads

Project summary

This project aims to explore physiological and cognitive indicators of welfare in two species of aquatic mollusk: highly mobile cuttlefish (dwarf cuttlefish; Ascarosepion bandense) and sessile (blue) mussels (Mytilus edulis). Valid indicators of mollusk welfare can help us better understand their welfare in changing environmental conditions, such as those associated with climate change. The researchers will explore heart rate variability and respiratory variability as possible physiological indicators, and optimism in a judgment bias test as a cognitive indicator of welfare. Following this, successful metrics can in turn be used to explore the impact of environmental changes on these species' welfare.

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Small, Endangered, Indonesia, Netherlands, Mammals, Physiology, Wildlife rehabilitation, Human-wildlife conflict, 2023, Not published Wild Animal Initiative Small, Endangered, Indonesia, Netherlands, Mammals, Physiology, Wildlife rehabilitation, Human-wildlife conflict, 2023, Not published Wild Animal Initiative

Introducing a novel tool to compare stress levels in captive and wild Macaca fascicularis

Grantee: Vets4welfare

Institution: Vets4welfare Foundation

Project summary

This project will compare cortisol concentrations in the hair of Indonesian monkeys from three groups: one in the wild, one that has been kept in captivity for the entertainment industry, and one in the process of rehabilitation following rescue from the entertainment industry. The aim of the project is to compare stress responses under wild, poor-welfare captive, and high-welfare captive environments. The hair cortisol data will be compared with veterinary and forensic records and other welfare-relevant observations (e.g. of infections or injuries) where possible. The researchers also intend to determine whether mistreatment in captivity leaves a signal in hair cortisol that could be detected after the fact and used to identify monkeys who have been illegally trafficked.

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