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.

Discovery, Australia, Fish, Endangered, Physiology, Animal behavior, Ichthyology, Cognition, 2025, Not published Wild Animal Initiative Discovery, Australia, Fish, Endangered, Physiology, Animal behavior, Ichthyology, Cognition, 2025, Not published Wild Animal Initiative

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.

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