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.

Challenge, Least concern, Animal behavior, Community ecology, Infectious disease, Population ecology, Ornithology, Bio/eco-informatics, Ecological modeling, Animal welfare science, United Kingdom, Birds, 2023, Not published Wild Animal Initiative Challenge, Least concern, Animal behavior, Community ecology, Infectious disease, Population ecology, Ornithology, Bio/eco-informatics, Ecological modeling, Animal welfare science, United Kingdom, Birds, 2023, Not published Wild Animal Initiative

Density-dependent welfare in wild bird social networks: Linking resource distributions with disease dynamics

Grantee: Joshua Firth

Institution: University of Oxford

Project summary

This project will investigate how various potential density-dependent drivers of welfare interact and influence net welfare in two species of tit. Population density is expected to be directly related to infectious disease transfer and increased competition, but also to covary with processes that are potentially beneficial to welfare. The study will use historical data to determine how the relationship between population density and individual welfare is shaped by infectious disease, body condition, and mortality risk. The investigators will then manipulate density experimentally to test model outputs and determine potential causal links.

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Small, United States, Mammals, Vulnerable, Population ecology, Animal behavior, Ecological modeling, 2023, Not published Wild Animal Initiative Small, United States, Mammals, Vulnerable, Population ecology, Animal behavior, Ecological modeling, 2023, Not published Wild Animal Initiative

Drivers of welfare in American pikas (Ochotona princeps)

Grantee: Johanna Varner

Institution: Colorado Mesa University

Project summary

Pikas (Ochotona princeps) in alpine habitats have recently faced population losses and range retractions. Declines are most prominent in isolated mountain ranges with limited high-elevation habitat, like the La Sals, where pikas are consequently likely to experience lower welfare. This project will assess the welfare of pikas in the La Sals through patterns of survival, population demographics, physiological stress, body condition, ectoparasite load, and hydration. The researchers will also test hypotheses correlating these indicators to habitat quality, and investigate resource competition between pikas and mountain goats.

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Challenge, United States, Amphibians, Least concern, Physiology, Animal behavior, Herpetology, 2023, Not published Wild Animal Initiative Challenge, United States, Amphibians, Least concern, Physiology, Animal behavior, Herpetology, 2023, Not published Wild Animal Initiative

Does population density influence the welfare of wild newts?

Grantee: Luiza Figueiredo Passos

Institution: Liverpool John Moores University

Project summary

This project will explore how the welfare of the widespread great crested newt (Triturus cristatus) is influenced by population density. It will test the hypothesis that optimal conditions for population sustainability could be suboptimal at the individual level, and consequently negative for welfare. The researchers will study the welfare of newts in populations with varying densities throughout England. Welfare will be assessed using the Five Domains Model by collecting measures of health, behavior, and nutrition. Environmental parameters will also be collected to assess the relationship between habitat quality and welfare.

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