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.

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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