Library
Browse resources published by our research team.
In addition to full texts of our peer-reviewed articles, our library includes research digests that break down our peer-reviewed articles; in-depth reports that thoroughly examine a topic; commentaries that explain the significance of particular issues in wild animal welfare science; and short communications that briefly survey a field or topic.
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How wild animals die: what we know so far
In part three of this series, Luke Hecht gives an overview of what research in this field has taught us so far about how wild animals die and highlights gaps that seem especially important for welfare biology.
Methods for studying wild animals’ causes of death
In part two of this series, Luke Hecht introduces some of the tools and approaches used to study wild animals’ causes of death.
Reducing the burden of disease: the One Health approach
Jane Capozzelli
Jane Capozzelli reviews the One Health approach to public health and veterinary medicine, identifying research themes that could be prioritized to most improve wild animal welfare.
Why cause of death matters for wild animal welfare
In part one of this series, Luke Hecht introduces approaches to studying wild animals’ causes of death, with the goal of making work in this field maximally useful for understanding wild animal welfare.
What is the value of wild animal welfare for restoration ecology?
Jane F. Capozzelli, Luke Hecht, Samniqueka Halsey
Capozzelli, J. F., Hecht, L., & Halsey, S. J. (2020). What is the value of wild animal welfare for restoration ecology? Restoration Ecology, 28(2), 267–270. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13114
The relevance of trophic interactions to wild animal welfare
Luke Hecht explores the welfare implications of food chain length, biomass distribution, and predation.
Summary of “What is the value of wild animal welfare for restoration ecology?”
Jane Capozzelli, Luke Hecht, Dr. Samniqueka Halsey
This post summarizes a 2020 perspective piece by Jane Capozzelli, Luke Hecht, and collaborator Samniqueka Halsey, in which they explore the potential for synergy between restoration ecology and wild animal welfare research.
Long-term design considerations for wild animal welfare interventions
How persistent and reversible should our interventions be? Simon Eckerström Liedholm explores two important factors in assessing the merits of interventions to improve wild animal welfare.
Optimal population density: trading off the quality and quantity of welfare
Luke Hecht explains how, in some cases, reducing wild animals’ population densities by relatively small amounts might facilitate large increases in their welfare.
Age-specific survivorship frames the expected value of wild animal welfare
This research note is an extension of Luke Hecht’s paper, The importance of considering age when quantifying wild animals’ welfare, which was published in Biological Reviews in December 2021. Luke introduces “welfare expectancy” as a framework for summing up the different levels of well-being animals might experience over the course of their lives, helping to compare the welfare consequences of interventions and natural pressures that may disproportionately affect animals of particular ages.
Assessing biomarkers of aging as measures of cumulative animal welfare
Will Bradshaw
Will Bradshaw reviews the existing empirical support for the use of biomarkers of aging as a measure of cumulative welfare, discusses the prerequisites of applying the method, and explores a number of important caveats that may limit its applicability.