Wild Animal Initiative
@wildanimalinitv.bsky.social
Funding and supporting researchers, and publishing our research, to accelerate science that helps wild animals. wildanimalinitiative.org
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Core Concepts: Wild animal welfare science — Wild Animal Initiative
Wild animal welfare science focuses on understanding the subjective experiences of individual wild animals with the goal of improving their welfare.
www.wildanimalinitiative.org
If we're connecting here for the first time and you're curious about what exactly wild animal welfare science is, this introductory blog post explains it. Related fields: #biology #ecology #ecoevo #ethology #animalbehavior #physiology #conservation
Wild animal welfare postdoc opportunity! 👇
the NYU WILD Lab is hiring a new postdoc, to work on bird-window collision research and other wild animal welfare topics in the urban context. Feel free to contact me with questions. apply.interfolio.com/180942
Apply - Interfolio
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apply.interfolio.com
February 9, 2026 at 9:15 AM
Wild animal welfare postdoc opportunity! 👇
Reposted by Wild Animal Initiative
Don't be put off by the ad saying "UK Students only" - a limited number of scholarships are available for international candidates. So please apply!
New PhD alert! We'll be applying animal welfare ideas to look at how stress affects bees, looking at the effect on bee brains with @lenariab.bsky.social, and working with @sensibee.bsky.social developing new monitoring methods.
Please spread the word! #bees #PhD 🧪
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Please spread the word! #bees #PhD 🧪
www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
The effect of stress on pollinator behaviour at Newcastle University on FindAPhD.com
PhD Project - The effect of stress on pollinator behaviour at Newcastle University, listed on FindAPhD.com
www.findaphd.com
February 3, 2026 at 1:24 PM
Don't be put off by the ad saying "UK Students only" - a limited number of scholarships are available for international candidates. So please apply!
🧪🐠 New tool for #wildlife researchers: the Method Finder helps you find non-invasive or minimally invasive methods for your study in #wildlife #biology, #ecology, or #conservation.
3rswildlife.info/method-finder/
3rswildlife.info/method-finder/
METHOD FINDER | 3Rs Principles In Wildlife Research
Examples of non-invasive research methods suitable for detection of wildlife species.
3rswildlife.info
February 6, 2026 at 1:15 PM
🧪🐠 New tool for #wildlife researchers: the Method Finder helps you find non-invasive or minimally invasive methods for your study in #wildlife #biology, #ecology, or #conservation.
3rswildlife.info/method-finder/
3rswildlife.info/method-finder/
We're welcoming Yolanda Eisenstein to our board of directors.
Yolanda has dedicated her career in law to speaking up for and protecting animals. We're so grateful that Yolanda is now applying her expertise to guiding our work at Wild Animal Initiative.
Yolanda has dedicated her career in law to speaking up for and protecting animals. We're so grateful that Yolanda is now applying her expertise to guiding our work at Wild Animal Initiative.
February 3, 2026 at 1:30 PM
We're welcoming Yolanda Eisenstein to our board of directors.
Yolanda has dedicated her career in law to speaking up for and protecting animals. We're so grateful that Yolanda is now applying her expertise to guiding our work at Wild Animal Initiative.
Yolanda has dedicated her career in law to speaking up for and protecting animals. We're so grateful that Yolanda is now applying her expertise to guiding our work at Wild Animal Initiative.
Not a member of our research community yet? Join an international network of 500+ wild animal welfare researchers and practitioners. 🧪
Join our Research Community — Wild Animal Initiative
Become a member of our community if you would like to engage researchers and practitioners around the world interested in understanding and improving the lives of animals in the wild.
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January 31, 2026 at 4:15 PM
Not a member of our research community yet? Join an international network of 500+ wild animal welfare researchers and practitioners. 🧪
We're delighted to welcome @lizspecht.bsky.social to our board of directors!
Liz's experience working at the forefront of efforts to accelerate progress in biotechnology makes her a valuable addition to our board.
Liz's experience working at the forefront of efforts to accelerate progress in biotechnology makes her a valuable addition to our board.
January 29, 2026 at 1:30 PM
We're delighted to welcome @lizspecht.bsky.social to our board of directors!
Liz's experience working at the forefront of efforts to accelerate progress in biotechnology makes her a valuable addition to our board.
Liz's experience working at the forefront of efforts to accelerate progress in biotechnology makes her a valuable addition to our board.
In case you missed it: Check out our recap of the most exciting wild animal welfare research published in 2025. 🧪🐢
#animalwelfare #research #science #wildlife
#animalwelfare #research #science #wildlife
Wild animal welfare research: 2025 — Wild Animal Initiative
January 5, 2026 Wild Animal Initiative supports research in wild animal welfare science to catalyze activity in the field and ensure that as it grows, the knowledge the field produces will help…
buff.ly
January 26, 2026 at 1:15 PM
In case you missed it: Check out our recap of the most exciting wild animal welfare research published in 2025. 🧪🐢
#animalwelfare #research #science #wildlife
#animalwelfare #research #science #wildlife
Reposted by Wild Animal Initiative
Huge thanks to @wildanimalinitv.bsky.social and @leverhulme.ac.uk for funding! #animalwelfare #wildlife #animalbehaviour #conservation
New paper out in @animalecology.bsky.social: Social information about others' affective states in a human-altered world. Link: besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
With @jackdawjordan.bsky.social, @margauxvanhussel.bsky.social, Mike Mendl, and @cornishjackdaws.bsky.social
With @jackdawjordan.bsky.social, @margauxvanhussel.bsky.social, Mike Mendl, and @cornishjackdaws.bsky.social
January 23, 2026 at 7:11 PM
Huge thanks to @wildanimalinitv.bsky.social and @leverhulme.ac.uk for funding! #animalwelfare #wildlife #animalbehaviour #conservation
Reposted by Wild Animal Initiative
New paper out in @animalecology.bsky.social: Social information about others' affective states in a human-altered world. Link: besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
With @jackdawjordan.bsky.social, @margauxvanhussel.bsky.social, Mike Mendl, and @cornishjackdaws.bsky.social
With @jackdawjordan.bsky.social, @margauxvanhussel.bsky.social, Mike Mendl, and @cornishjackdaws.bsky.social
January 22, 2026 at 1:51 PM
New paper out in @animalecology.bsky.social: Social information about others' affective states in a human-altered world. Link: besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
With @jackdawjordan.bsky.social, @margauxvanhussel.bsky.social, Mike Mendl, and @cornishjackdaws.bsky.social
With @jackdawjordan.bsky.social, @margauxvanhussel.bsky.social, Mike Mendl, and @cornishjackdaws.bsky.social
Meet our new board member, Jake Wilson!
Jake is an expert in nonprofit finance, and brings years of experience working to help animals.
Jake is one of three new members we're welcoming to our board. We're thrilled to have his support in our mission to accelerate science that helps wild animals.
Jake is an expert in nonprofit finance, and brings years of experience working to help animals.
Jake is one of three new members we're welcoming to our board. We're thrilled to have his support in our mission to accelerate science that helps wild animals.
January 23, 2026 at 1:45 PM
Meet our new board member, Jake Wilson!
Jake is an expert in nonprofit finance, and brings years of experience working to help animals.
Jake is one of three new members we're welcoming to our board. We're thrilled to have his support in our mission to accelerate science that helps wild animals.
Jake is an expert in nonprofit finance, and brings years of experience working to help animals.
Jake is one of three new members we're welcoming to our board. We're thrilled to have his support in our mission to accelerate science that helps wild animals.
Our Strategy Researcher, @simonliedholm.bsky.social, has never shied away from exploring difficult or unusual questions. Read about his path to WAI and wild animal welfare science 👇
Evolving alongside the field: Strategy Researcher Simon Eckerström Liedholm’s path to wild animal welfare science — Wild Animal Initiative
Wild Animal Initiative produces and supports wild animal welfare research, but it’s not just research for research’s sake. We see this work fitting into a bigger picture of helping the field of wild…
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January 22, 2026 at 1:45 PM
Our Strategy Researcher, @simonliedholm.bsky.social, has never shied away from exploring difficult or unusual questions. Read about his path to WAI and wild animal welfare science 👇
🦠 We know that zoonoses can cause population declines, but how do pathogens impact the welfare of wild animals?
📉 Hirst & Halsey created a severity index that can be used to better understand these impacts.
🧪 Read the open-access paper: buff.ly/yqOnslY
#wildlife #animalwelfare
📉 Hirst & Halsey created a severity index that can be used to better understand these impacts.
🧪 Read the open-access paper: buff.ly/yqOnslY
#wildlife #animalwelfare
The use of a severity index to analyse impact of bacterial zoonoses on welfare of wildlife populations | Animal Welfare | Cambridge Core
The use of a severity index to analyse impact of bacterial zoonoses on welfare of wildlife populations - Volume 34
buff.ly
January 20, 2026 at 1:15 PM
🦠 We know that zoonoses can cause population declines, but how do pathogens impact the welfare of wild animals?
📉 Hirst & Halsey created a severity index that can be used to better understand these impacts.
🧪 Read the open-access paper: buff.ly/yqOnslY
#wildlife #animalwelfare
📉 Hirst & Halsey created a severity index that can be used to better understand these impacts.
🧪 Read the open-access paper: buff.ly/yqOnslY
#wildlife #animalwelfare
In a new paper in Biology Letters, WAI's @meekl.bsky.social examines the overlooked relationship between affective state and wild animals' responses to environmental change. 🧪
Read the open access paper here: buff.ly/BOG8woU
@royalsocietypublishing.org
#paper #research #wildlife #animalwelfare
Read the open access paper here: buff.ly/BOG8woU
@royalsocietypublishing.org
#paper #research #wildlife #animalwelfare
Considering affective state as a central component of the response of animals to environmental changes
Abstract. Current environmental changes are often considered as negatively impacting the affective state of animals. Yet, the interplay between environment
buff.ly
January 18, 2026 at 2:30 PM
In a new paper in Biology Letters, WAI's @meekl.bsky.social examines the overlooked relationship between affective state and wild animals' responses to environmental change. 🧪
Read the open access paper here: buff.ly/BOG8woU
@royalsocietypublishing.org
#paper #research #wildlife #animalwelfare
Read the open access paper here: buff.ly/BOG8woU
@royalsocietypublishing.org
#paper #research #wildlife #animalwelfare
New blog post: 2025 research highlights 🧪
Last year, wild animal welfare researchers broke new ground on:
🦠 Understanding the welfare impacts of zoonotic diseases
🔬 Measuring welfare markers in the wild
🦝 The ethics of wildlife rehabilitation
Learn more:
Last year, wild animal welfare researchers broke new ground on:
🦠 Understanding the welfare impacts of zoonotic diseases
🔬 Measuring welfare markers in the wild
🦝 The ethics of wildlife rehabilitation
Learn more:
Wild animal welfare research: 2025 — Wild Animal Initiative
January 5, 2026 Wild Animal Initiative supports research in wild animal welfare science to catalyze activity in the field and ensure that as it grows, the knowledge the field produces will help…
buff.ly
January 16, 2026 at 1:45 PM
New blog post: 2025 research highlights 🧪
Last year, wild animal welfare researchers broke new ground on:
🦠 Understanding the welfare impacts of zoonotic diseases
🔬 Measuring welfare markers in the wild
🦝 The ethics of wildlife rehabilitation
Learn more:
Last year, wild animal welfare researchers broke new ground on:
🦠 Understanding the welfare impacts of zoonotic diseases
🔬 Measuring welfare markers in the wild
🦝 The ethics of wildlife rehabilitation
Learn more:
It was wonderful to be invited to @ljmuofficial.bsky.social recently to take part in their symposium on wild #animalwelfare. 🐦⬛
Fantastic to hear from WAI grantees about a range of projects on wild birds, great crested newts, and leveraging new technologies to study welfare.
Fantastic to hear from WAI grantees about a range of projects on wild birds, great crested newts, and leveraging new technologies to study welfare.
January 12, 2026 at 1:39 PM
It was wonderful to be invited to @ljmuofficial.bsky.social recently to take part in their symposium on wild #animalwelfare. 🐦⬛
Fantastic to hear from WAI grantees about a range of projects on wild birds, great crested newts, and leveraging new technologies to study welfare.
Fantastic to hear from WAI grantees about a range of projects on wild birds, great crested newts, and leveraging new technologies to study welfare.
Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date with monthly highlights from Wild Animal Initiative.
Subscribe to monthly email newsletter — Wild Animal Initiative
Sign up to receive updates about Wild Animal Initiative and the field of wild animal welfare science.
buff.ly
January 10, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date with monthly highlights from Wild Animal Initiative.
Reposted by Wild Animal Initiative
2026. Considering affective state as a central component of the response of animals to environmental changes #AnimalWelfare url: royalsocietypublishing.org/rsbl/article... via @royalsocietypublishing.org
Considering affective state as a central component of the response of animals to environmental changes
Abstract. Current environmental changes are often considered as negatively impacting the affective state of animals. Yet, the interplay between environment
royalsocietypublishing.org
January 7, 2026 at 6:19 AM
2026. Considering affective state as a central component of the response of animals to environmental changes #AnimalWelfare url: royalsocietypublishing.org/rsbl/article... via @royalsocietypublishing.org
🧪📣 New paper!
How might welfare affect the way wild animals respond to changes in their environment?
🧵 1/11
How might welfare affect the way wild animals respond to changes in their environment?
🧵 1/11
Considering affective state as a central component of the response of animals to environmental changes
Abstract. Current environmental changes are often considered as negatively impacting the affective state of animals. Yet, the interplay between environment
royalsocietypublishing.org
January 8, 2026 at 4:30 PM
🧪📣 New paper!
How might welfare affect the way wild animals respond to changes in their environment?
🧵 1/11
How might welfare affect the way wild animals respond to changes in their environment?
🧵 1/11
Lizard morphology, urban bird cognition, AI tools for biology data analysis, and so much more — it was great to meet you at #SICB2026 and learn about your exciting work. We hope you'll stay in touch to keep up with advancements in wild animal welfare science or even contribute your own someday!
January 7, 2026 at 8:21 PM
Lizard morphology, urban bird cognition, AI tools for biology data analysis, and so much more — it was great to meet you at #SICB2026 and learn about your exciting work. We hope you'll stay in touch to keep up with advancements in wild animal welfare science or even contribute your own someday!
We're here at #SICB2026 and would love to meet anyone who researches the lives of wild animals, or who wants to in the future. In the conference app, open up the Community Hub section and you'll find details for our Tuesday morning meetup, hosted by Cat Kerr. Hope to see you there!
January 3, 2026 at 7:30 PM
We're here at #SICB2026 and would love to meet anyone who researches the lives of wild animals, or who wants to in the future. In the conference app, open up the Community Hub section and you'll find details for our Tuesday morning meetup, hosted by Cat Kerr. Hope to see you there!
🧪 WAI grantee Paula Serres-Corral et al. developed a methodology for measuring oxytocin in feces, using #lions as a model species.
Because fecal samples are collected noninvasively, fecal oxytocin could be used to assess free-ranging #animalwelfare.
Read the paper👇
www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15...
Because fecal samples are collected noninvasively, fecal oxytocin could be used to assess free-ranging #animalwelfare.
Read the paper👇
www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15...
January 3, 2026 at 2:15 PM
🧪 WAI grantee Paula Serres-Corral et al. developed a methodology for measuring oxytocin in feces, using #lions as a model species.
Because fecal samples are collected noninvasively, fecal oxytocin could be used to assess free-ranging #animalwelfare.
Read the paper👇
www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15...
Because fecal samples are collected noninvasively, fecal oxytocin could be used to assess free-ranging #animalwelfare.
Read the paper👇
www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15...
As we head into the new year, we'll share updates about what we've been working on each month. Get the latest highlights by subscribing to our monthly newsletter.
Subscribe to monthly email newsletter — Wild Animal Initiative
Sign up to receive updates about Wild Animal Initiative and the field of wild animal welfare science.
buff.ly
December 28, 2025 at 3:30 PM
As we head into the new year, we'll share updates about what we've been working on each month. Get the latest highlights by subscribing to our monthly newsletter.
Wishing you a joyful festive season! May your gingerbread cookies turn out better than ours did 🙃 ❄️ ⛄
December 23, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Wishing you a joyful festive season! May your gingerbread cookies turn out better than ours did 🙃 ❄️ ⛄
🧪🐋 In a 2024 #paper in #Animals, Boileau et al. validated a non-invasive physical indicator of welfare in free-ranging humpback and fin #whales.
www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14...
🧵 1/7
www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14...
🧵 1/7
December 21, 2025 at 1:30 PM
🧪🐋 In a 2024 #paper in #Animals, Boileau et al. validated a non-invasive physical indicator of welfare in free-ranging humpback and fin #whales.
www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14...
🧵 1/7
www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14...
🧵 1/7
What does wild animal welfare research look like in practice? 👇
A day in the life of a wild animal welfare scientist — Wild Animal Initiative
October 24, 2024 Wild Animal Initiative works to accelerate progress in the emerging field of wild animal welfare science. Our mission is largely influenced by the fact that wild animal welfare…
buff.ly
December 18, 2025 at 1:15 PM
What does wild animal welfare research look like in practice? 👇