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.
Assessing the Impact of Ectoparasites on Nestling Welfare: Validating Behavioral and Physiological Indicators in Darwin’s Finches
Grantee: Sabine Tebbich
Institution: University of Vienna
Project summary
Nestling finches are particularly vulnerable to blood-sucking ectoparasites because they lack the ability to preen, dust-bathe, or escape infested nests. Invasive parasites are especially detrimental to bird welfare because naïve hosts lack behavioral adaptations such as nest sanitation or preening, and hosts often suffer from exceptionally high parasite loads. This project aims to integrate behavioral (breathing rate and sleep duration) and physiological (haematocrit, baseline corticosterone, oxidative stress and telomere length) indicators to assess the welfare impact of the bloodsucking larvae of the avian vampire fly (Philornis downsi) on nestlings of Galápagos finches.
Grantee: Sabine Tebbich
Institution: University of Vienna, Austria
Grant amount: $42,000
Grant type: Discovery grants
Focal species: Green warbler-finches (Certhidae olivacea) and small ground finches (Geospiza fuliginosa)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Physiology, animal behavior, ornithology, infectious disease
Research locations: Austria, United States, Ecuador
Project summary
Nestling finches are particularly vulnerable to blood-sucking ectoparasites because they lack the ability to preen, dust-bathe, or escape infested nests. Invasive parasites are especially detrimental to bird welfare because naïve hosts lack behavioral adaptations such as nest sanitation or preening, and hosts often suffer from exceptionally high parasite loads. This project aims to integrate behavioral (breathing rate and sleep duration) and physiological (haematocrit, baseline corticosterone, oxidative stress and telomere length) indicators to assess the welfare impact of the bloodsucking larvae of the avian vampire fly (Philornis downsi) on nestlings of Galápagos finches.
Why we funded this project
We appreciate the diversity of welfare indicators this project will bring to bear on an important threat to the welfare of juveniles (an especially abundant and neglected life stage) in this species. By examining correlations between these putative welfare indicators, the project will contribute to understanding their validity, both individually and as a combined index, with potential transferability to other species and research questions.
Examining mechanistic relationships between metabolic rates, wild bird welfare and impacts of selective logging on eastern Himalayan birds
Grantee: Akshay Bharadwaj
Institution: Indian Institute of Science
Project summary
Animals must balance energy spent with energy consumed, and can only persist in habitats that allow for this balance. All warm-blooded animals have a Basic Survival Cost (BSC) required for basal metabolism and thermoregulation. This project aims to understand how basic survival costs (BSC) affect wild bird welfare in the Eastern Himalayas. Using a combination of thermal imaging, respirometry, and ambient-temperature humidity data, we will estimate BSC in free-living birds across habitat gradients. Subsequently, the project will relate the BSC to multiple welfare indicators, allowing a triangulation of a bird's lived experience. By linking energy metabolism with welfare outcomes, this work will provide a novel, mechanistic perspective on wild animal welfare in an understudied tropical system.
Grantee: Akshay Bharadwaj
Institution: Indian Institute of Science, India
Grant amount: $37,500
Grant type: Discovery grants
Focal species: Understory insectivorous/frugivorous birds including the yellow-throated fulvetta, rusty-fronted barwing, and coral-billed scimitar babbler
Conservation status: n/a
Disciplines: Physiology, ornithology
Research locations: India
Project summary
Animals must balance energy spent with energy consumed, and can only persist in habitats that allow for this balance. All warm-blooded animals have a Basic Survival Cost (BSC) required for basal metabolism and thermoregulation. This project aims to understand how basic survival costs (BSC) affect wild bird welfare in the Eastern Himalayas. Using a combination of thermal imaging, respirometry, and ambient-temperature humidity data, we will estimate BSC in free-living birds across habitat gradients. Subsequently, the project will relate the BSC to multiple welfare indicators, allowing a triangulation of a bird's lived experience. By linking energy metabolism with welfare outcomes, this work will provide a novel, mechanistic perspective on wild animal welfare in an understudied tropical system.
Why we funded this project
This project builds on previous WAI-funded research and will provide insight into the relationship between welfare and energy expenditure, a commonly measured ecological parameter. Better understanding this relationship could prove useful in anticipating the welfare impacts of ecological changes, such as selective logging (the direct priority of this study).
Swan Lake: Assessing the welfare of urban mute swans
Grantee: Irena Uzelac
Institution: Animal Rescue Serbia
Project summary
This project investigates how human-provided food, environmental conditions, and injuries affect the welfare of mute swans in urban Belgrade. The project will assess welfare using indicators such as body condition, visible deformities, injury rates, and behavior patterns like foraging and aggression. By comparing sites with different levels of human feeding and variations in temperature, the project aims to understand how these factors shape swan health and behavior. Reproductive success and juvenile survival will also be monitored to evaluate long-term welfare outcomes. A mix of behavioral observation, environmental monitoring, and welfare scoring will be used, integrating both natural and anthropogenic stressors. The ultimate goal is to develop ecologically valid welfare indicators that reflect real-world challenges faced by urban wildlife.
Grantee: Irena Uzelac
Institution: Animal Rescue Serbia, Serbia
Grant amount: $10,000
Grant type: Seed grants
Focal species: Mute swan (Cygnus olor)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Ornithology, animal behavior, physiology
Research locations: Serbia
Project summary
This project investigates how human-provided food, environmental conditions, and injuries affect the welfare of mute swans (Cygnus olor) in urban Belgrade. The project will assess welfare using indicators such as body condition, visible deformities (e.g., angel wing), injury rates, and behavior patterns like foraging and aggression. By comparing sites with different levels of human feeding and variations in temperature, the project aims to understand how these factors shape swan health and behavior. Reproductive success and juvenile survival will also be monitored to evaluate long-term welfare outcomes. A mix of behavioral observation, environmental monitoring, and welfare scoring will be used, integrating both natural and anthropogenic stressors. The ultimate goal is to develop ecologically valid welfare indicators that reflect real-world challenges faced by urban wildlife.
Why we funded this project
This project will help address the question of how food from humans and urban environmental stressors affect the health and welfare of wild birds by applying practical welfare indicators in a free-living, urban population of mute swans. While this question has been longstanding, most research has been limited to narrower health (disease) or demographic impacts. We hope that this project will provide information on when and how anthropogenic food might be a welfare threat or opportunity.
Assessment of welfare impacts of parasites and pathogens on migratory flamingos among Salt Lakes of East Africa
Grantee: Robert Modest Byamungu
Institution: Sokoine University of Agriculture
Project summary
This project will investigate the effects of parasites and pathogens on the welfare of two flamingo species ― the greater flamingo and the lesser flamingo — in the Salt Lakes of East Africa using non-invasive methods. To achieve this, the project will establish two sites: an experimental site and a control site. At both sites, it will (i) estimate parasites and pathogens loads, (ii) assess stress behaviour, (iii) quantify stress physiology and, (iv) monitor food resources of flamingos. Welfare will be assessed through behaviors (e.g., body scratching and feathers plucking), as well as signs of stress (e.g., fecal cortisol levels). The project helps provide an understanding on how environmental pressures impact wild animals' quality of life.
Grantee: Robert Modest Byamungu
Institution: Sokoine University of Agriculture, Tanzania
Grant amount: $9,920
Grant type: Seed grants
Focal species: Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Ornithology, animal behavior, physiology, infectious disease
Research locations: Tanzania
Project summary
This project seeks to deepen understanding of flamingo migration among the Salt Lakes of East Africa by looking at the role of parasites and pathogens on the welfare of two flamingo species ― the greater flamingo and the lesser flamingo — using non-invasive methods. To achieve this, the project will establish two sites: an experimental site and a control site. At both sites, it will (i) estimate parasites and pathogens loads, (ii) assess stress behaviour, (iii) quantify stress physiology and, (iv) monitor food resources of flamingos. Welfare will be assessed through behaviors (e.g., body scratching and feathers plucking), as well as signs of stress (e.g., fecal cortisol levels). The project helps provide an understanding on how environmental pressures impact wild animals' quality of life.
Why we funded this project
Flamingos are a highly numerous species, so the findings of this project have the potential to help researchers understand the welfare of a large number of individuals. Migration of other group-living animals may also be influenced by welfare, so the results may also be translatable to other species.
Between freedom and security, what makes a feral pigeon happier?
Grantee: Brandon Mak
Institution: Technical University of Munich
Project summary
Feral pigeons in Germany are subject to the Augsburg model of non-lethal population control, which involves attracting them to breed in dovecots where food and nest sites are provided, and their eggs exchanged with dummies. Others are captured and housed in aviaries under similar conditions. This project investigates the welfare implications of Germany’s non-lethal population control strategies. This is done by comparing the stress profiles of feral pigeons living “wild” in the streets, free-living pigeons breeding and feeding in dovecots, and formerly free-living pigeons translocated into aviaries. Fieldwork will be conducted to weigh pigeons (body mass measurement), collect egg and feather samples from their nests (corticosterone concentrations), and observe their behavior (locomotion and aggression).
Grantee: Brandon Mak
Institution: Technical University of Munich, Germany
Grant amount: $10,900
Grant type: Seed grants
Focal species: Feral pigeon/rock dove (Columba livia domestica)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Ornithology, animal behavior, physiology, population ecology, wildlife management
Research locations: Germany
Project summary
Feral pigeons in Germany are subject to the Augsburg model of non-lethal population control, which involves attracting them to breed in dovecots where food and nest sites are provided, and their eggs exchanged with dummies. Others are captured and housed in aviaries under similar conditions. While aimed at reducing pigeon populations, providing food, and reducing exposure to predators, it’s possible that these measures may incidentally alleviate chronic stress in free-living individuals. This project investigates the welfare implications of Germany’s non-lethal population control strategies. This is done by comparing the stress profiles of feral pigeons living “wild” in the streets, free-living pigeons breeding and feeding in dovecots, and formerly free-living pigeons translocated into aviaries. Fieldwork will be conducted to weigh pigeons (body mass measurement), collect egg and feather samples from their nests (corticosterone concentrations), and observe their behavior (locomotion and aggression).
Why we funded this project
This project will contribute to our understanding of the potential welfare effects of (non-chemical) fertility control in pigeons, a leading candidate for near-term interventions to improve welfare in urban contexts. It will also provide some information on the validity of egg corticosterone as a non-invasive indicator of stress by measuring it alongside other more established methods (feather corticosterone, morphological and behavioural indicators) for a more robust welfare assessment.
Validating the use of cognitive bias to assess affective valence in wild bird populations.
Grantee: Oliver Burman
Institution: University of Lincoln
Project summary
The goal of this project is to develop and validate a cognitive bias test for assessing the welfare of woodland birds that does not require any training stage, and instead takes advantage of innate attraction and aversion to stimuli that resemble preferred or noxious prey (with a range of likeness accuracy, based on the principle of imperfect Batesian mimicry). Continuing the theme of exploiting natural variation, the project will use spatial variation in numerous components of habitat preferability that can be assumed to directionally affect welfare — such as food abundance and shelter — as natural experiments to validate their cognitive bias tests.
Grantees: Oliver Burman
Institutions: University of Lincoln, United Kingdom
Grant amount: $193,684.17
Grant type: Challenge grant
Focal species: Free-living wild birds, including (but not limited to): blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus), great tits (Parus major), wrens (Troglodytes troglodytes), coal tits (Poecile ater), European robins (Erithacus rubecula), chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs), greenfinches (Chloris chloris), starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), blackbirds (Turdus merula) and Eurasian jays (Garrulus glandarius).
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Animal welfare science, ornithology, animal behavior
Research location: United Kingdom
Project summary
Cognitive bias is a robust and validated measure of affective valence effective in a wide variety of animal species. However, this valuable approach has been primarily focused on the welfare assessment of captive animals and has not yet been demonstrated in wild free-living animal populations. This goal is crucial for addressing urgent contemporary issues such as the impact of anthropogenic and climatic change on wild animal welfare and to tackle key conservation challenges. In the first attempt to apply a cognitive judgement bias task in a free-living wild animal population, we found that wild birds struggled to complete the necessary training (discrimination) stage of the cognitive bias task. In the proposed project, our aim is therefore to validate two novel cognitive approaches to assessing affective valence in wild animals that do not require training, in conjunction with established behavioural and physiological indicators of welfare. Firstly, we will investigate a modified cognitive judgement bias task based on the innate avoidance of naturally occurring aversive prey, using the principle of imperfect Batesian mimicry. Secondly, we will modify and validate a cognitive attention bias task that relies on a spontaneous response to a potential threat. Both tasks will be assessed in populations of wild birds using natural variation in affective valence. Our anticipated outcomes are the development of an effective, validated measure of affective valence applicable to wild birds without the need for capture/restraint that can be translated across species; an invaluable tool in the assessment of wild animal welfare in response to a wide variety of environmental challenges.
Why we funded this project
This project’s results are intended to be generalizable to numerous woodland bird species (e.g., tits, wrens, starlings). We also appreciate its creatively humane approach to validation, using innate preferences and natural variation in affective valence, rather than training and experimental manipulation. Plus, the project considers both presumably positive (e.g., food, shelter) and presumably negative (e.g., predator abundance) welfare factors, which further strengthens the validation.
Social connections and their welfare implications in the wild
Grantee: Alex Thornton
Institutions: University of Exeter, University of Bristol
Project summary
This project seeks to understand the relationship between welfare and social interactions in wild bird populations. Using historical data, the researchers will also seek insight into how welfare varies among individuals in relation to the social system, early-life experiences, and interactions among individuals. They will also investigate whether social systems might play a role in helping to mitigate some of the negative anthropogenic impacts on welfare.
Grantee: Alex Thornton
Institutions: University of Exeter, University of Bristol, United Kingdom
Grant amount: $157,962
Grant type: Challenge grants
Focal species: Jackdaws (Coloeus sp.)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Animal behavior, ornithology, animal welfare science
Research location: United Kingdom
Project summary
This project seeks to understand the relationship between welfare and social interactions in wild bird populations. Using historical data, the researchers will also seek insight into how welfare varies among individuals in relation to the social system, early-life experiences, and interactions among individuals. They will also investigate whether social systems might play a role in helping to mitigate some of the negative anthropogenic impacts on welfare.
Why we funded this project
The study findings will help in understanding how wild animals cope with increasing temperatures and the impact of thermal stress on their welfare and health. Notably, previous work has suggested that T3 measurements in ungulates are especially sensitive to thermal stress, and so comparing T3 with other indicators based on different physiological pathways, such as glucocorticoids, could help researchers to diagnose the relative significance of different environmental stressors an animal is facing. The project’s behavioral metrics are also crucial for realizing that potential. A secondary reason for our interest in this project is that it has near-term policy implications, potentially highlighting the value of preserving or promoting specific landscape features for the ecosystem service they offer, in the form of shade, to wild ungulates.
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Thermal imaging as a non-invasive welfare assessment tool for tracking the impact of environmental stressors across wild animal populations
Grantee: Ross MacLeod
Institution: Liverpool John Moores University
Project summary
This project aims to test and validate a standardized multi-species approach to monitoring physiological stress in wild birds by using thermal imaging cameras to measure the animals’ body surface temperature, which could enable tracking of chronic stress in wild populations facing environmental stressors. Building on pilot work, the project will focus on wild bird populations to develop a standardized thermal imaging methodology capable of monitoring surface temperature of a wide range of wild animals. The methodology will be validated using bird communities visiting 54 standardized feeding and drinking stations spread across the UK, to quantify how changes in surface temperature are linked to starvation risk, predation risk, and human disturbance.
Grantee: Ross MacLeod
Institution: Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom
Grant amount: $29,810
Grant type: Small grants
Focal species: Wild birds
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Physiology, animal welfare science, population ecology, ornithology
Research location: United Kingdom
Project summary
This project aims to test and validate a standardized multi-species approach to monitoring physiological stress in wild birds by using thermal imaging cameras to measure the animals’ body surface temperature, which could enable tracking of chronic stress in wild populations facing different levels of environmental stressors. Building on pilot work, the project will focus on wild bird populations to develop a standardized thermal imaging methodology capable of monitoring surface temperature of a wide range of free-living wild animals. The methodology will be validated using bird communities visiting 54 standardized feeding and drinking stations spread across three urban-rural gradients in the UK, to quantify how changes in surface temperature are linked to starvation risk, predation risk, and human disturbance.
Why we funded this project
This approach to measuring wild animals’ physiological stress levels through thermal imaging analysis has great potential for scalable monitoring of large numbers of individuals and is usable for cross-species comparisons. We appreciated that this team was interested in addressing non-anthropogenic causes of suffering in starvation and predation, and in extending their method to other species that tend to be neglected (e.g., wild rodents). This work also relates to the project by Paul Jerem that we previously funded, creating a longer-term relationship between Wild Animal Initiative and project participants.
Find Ross’ other project, studying house sparrows, here.
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Developing an approach for assessing the welfare of wild birds through the use of bioacoustics analysis
Grantee: Luiza Figueiredo Passos
Institution: Liverpool John Moores University
Project summary
Vocalization analysis has been used to monitor the welfare of farmed animals and animals in laboratories, but lacks validation for wild animals. This project will use passive acoustic monitoring to record wild bird calls throughout the UK. It will identify vocal patterns and chorus characteristics related to various environmental risks that can be used to infer the welfare status of local bird populations across multiple environments. The focal species will be house sparrows, who have undergone a massive population decline and may be facing welfare challenges. Validating acoustic monitoring as a tool for non-invasive welfare monitoring in the wild for the first time will provide a method that could be used to monitor the welfare of wild birds globally.
Grantees: Luiza Figueiredo Passos
Institution: Liverpool John Moores University, United Kingdom
Grant amount: $29,060
Grant type: Small grants
Focal species: House sparrow (Passer domesticus)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Animal welfare science, ornithology, population ecology, animal behavior
Research location: United Kingdom
Project summary
Vocalisations carry emotional, physiological, and individual information, suggesting that they can serve as potentially useful non-invasive indicators for inferring wild animal welfare. Communication of affective states via vocalization is due to changes in emotions leading to deviations in the nervous system, causing physiological changes within the vocal production systems. Modern sound analysis techniques have provided tools to discriminate, analyze, and classify specific vocalizations, permitting them to be used for monitoring welfare of different farm and laboratory animals. However, this approach lacks validation for wild individuals. This proposal aims to use passive acoustic monitoring to record wild bird calls at different locations in urban, rural, and conservation-managed areas in the UK. This project will follow a comparative approach to identify vocal patterns and chorus characteristics related to different environmental risks (starvation risk, predation risk, human disturbance, etc.) so that these vocal signatures can be used to infer the welfare status of local bird populations across different environments. The focal species will be one of Europe’s most common species, the house sparrow (Passer domesticus). House sparrows provide an ideal first validation as the species has undergone a massive population decline in many parts of its range over the past 50 years, suggesting that its local populations are facing significant welfare challenges. Validating acoustic monitoring as a tool for non-invasive welfare monitoring in the wild for the first time will provide the basis for future application to birds in general, providing a method that could be used to monitor welfare and changes in welfare of wild birds at any location globally.
Project objectives
Objective 1: Evaluate how changes in sparrow welfare driven by changes in risk of starvation can be indicated by changes in the vocal signatures of local populations.
Objective 2: Understand relationship between predation risk driven changes in sparrows’ welfare and the vocal signatures of local populations.
Objective 3: Impact of human disturbance on sparrows’ welfare.
Why we funded this project
This project is very similar to projects by Claudia Wascher and Sam Reynolds. As stated, bioacoustic monitoring is an extremely promising approach because it is minimally invasive and inexpensive. However, it still needs to be validated, and given its potential future value, we felt that it would be best for it to be validated by at least two independent studies. This project was especially appealing because it focuses on such a ubiquitous species (the house sparrow) and is led by a researcher with a strong record in bioacoustics and an understanding of animal welfare science.
Find Luiza’s other project, studying wild newts, here.
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Assessing animal welfare from bioacoustic monitoring in red-billed choughs (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax)
Grantee: Claudia Wascher
Institution: Anglia Ruskin University
Project summary
Bioacoustic monitoring is a well established method of measuring welfare in captive animals, but has not been used in wild animals. This project will assess and validate the use of passive bioacoustic monitoring to assess welfare in a reintroduced population of red-billed choughs. The researchers will conduct a combination of automatic acoustic monitoring using “passive” acoustic recorders and direct observations (recording behavior via videos and monitoring activity during the night with night vision scopes) and “active” acoustic monitoring, using a high-quality directional microphone and parabolic dish. Their approach will allow them to record vocalizations and behavior during natural events expected to influence welfare, such as anthropogenic noise, predation events, intraspecific aggression, resting, or affiliative behaviors.
Grantees: Claudia Wascher
Institution: Anglia Ruskin University, United Kingdom
Grant amount: $18,679
Grant type: Small grants
Focal species: Red-billed chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax)
Conservation status: Least concern
Disciplines: Animal welfare science, ornithology, population ecology, animal behavior
Research location: United Kingdom
Project summary
In principle, animal vocalizations can be used to identify both positive and negative experiences. Specific vocal characteristics (e.g., mean fundamental frequency) and the rate of occurrence of certain call types can help to quantify animal welfare and are well-established in farm animals such as pigs, horses, cows, and chickens. But although bioacoustic monitoring is a well-established method in captive animals, the method has not been used in wild animals to assess positive and negative emotional states. This project will assess and validate the use of passive bioacoustic monitoring to assess welfare in a reintroduced population of red-billed choughs. The researchers will conduct a combination of automatic acoustic monitoring using “passive” acoustic recorders and direct observations (recording behavior via videos, monitoring activity during the night with night vision scopes, and “active” acoustic monitoring using high-quality directional microphone and parabolic dish). Their approach will allow them to record vocalizations and behavior during natural events expected to influence welfare, such as anthropogenic noise, predation events, intraspecific aggression, resting, or affiliative behaviors.
Why we funded this project
This project will help to validate the use of passive acoustic monitoring to assess welfare states from variation in vocal behavior, which presents a non-invasive, cost-effective tool to assess the impact of positive and negative events on animal welfare. In theory, acoustic monitoring could be used to assess the welfare of a large number of individuals at a time, making it a particularly promising method to investigate.
