Wild Animal Initiative
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Wild Animal Initiative
@wildanimalinitv.bsky.social
Offering grants, research, and services to accelerate science that helps wild animals. wildanimalinitiative.org
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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
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
📢❗Last call!

The final day to submit an EOI for a Wild Animal Initiative #grant is this Friday, November 14.

#animalwelfare #science #CFP #wildlife #research
Grants — Wild Animal Initiative
We have an open call for proposals on all grant types. Learn how to apply.
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November 10, 2025 at 1:30 PM
One week left to submit your application for a Wild Animal Initiative #grant!

Learn more about conducting research in wild animal welfare science: buff.ly/iS9sCnP
November 7, 2025 at 1:15 PM
When WAI Strategy Researcher @simonliedholm.bsky.social decided to apply his scientific background to helping wild animals, "the big question was just, ‘Is there anyone willing to pay me for doing this?’”

Read about Simon's path to 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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November 3, 2025 at 1:53 PM
🧪 We have an open #CFP on projects in wild animal welfare science.

Not sure if your project is the right fit? We've put together a guide on using common research skills to study wild animal welfare, and integrating welfare into wildlife science projects.
Obtaining funding for wild animal welfare science: A guide for researchers in other fields — Wild Animal Initiative
We have an open call for proposals on all of our grant types. Learn more and apply by November 14.
buff.ly
November 1, 2025 at 12:15 PM
Watching Nightmares of Nature on Netflix is a spooky way to spend the evening, but the scariest thing about nature isn’t on TV — it’s how little we know about what life is actually like for wild animals, and how we might improve their welfare. 🎃 🐈‍⬛ 👻
Nightmares of Nature — Wild Animal Initiative
www.wildanimalinitiative.org
October 31, 2025 at 4:21 PM
In case you missed it, wild animal welfare was featured in the latest issue of The Wildlife Professional, where @dr-bff.bsky.social explored the benefits of integrating welfare into urban ecology.

If you're a member, you can read it here: buff.ly/3VtLdeA
PUBLICATIONS - The Wildlife Society
TWS’ publications keep you informed about wildlife science, conservation, management, policy and education.
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October 29, 2025 at 12:32 PM
Reposted by Wild Animal Initiative
🚨Call for Grant proposals is currently open at www.wildanimalinitiative.org/grants!

Deadline: 14th November

#WildAnimalWelfare
#Grants
October 28, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter to stay up to date with the latest highlights from Wild Animal Initiative.

#wildlife #animalwelfare #science #research
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.
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October 25, 2025 at 11:43 AM
📢 #CFP: Wild Animal Initiative is accepting grant applications for projects studying wild animal welfare.

🗓️ Submit your EOI form by November 14 to be considered.

🧪 #wildlife #biology #zoology #ecoevo #animalbehavior #animalbehaviour #physiology #conservation #science
Grants — Wild Animal Initiative
We have an open call for proposals on all grant types. Learn how to apply.
buff.ly
October 20, 2025 at 12:15 PM
We've awarded 84 grants since we launched our Grants Program three years ago, and we're excited to share the contributions that our grantees have made to the field of wild animal welfare science so far.
Progress update on our grantees’ research projects — Wild Animal Initiative
September 9, 2025 Since 2022, our Grants Program has funded research on wild animal welfare — from validating ways to measure the welfare of free-living wild animals, to discovering the factors…
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October 15, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Our friends at Rethink Priorities are hosting a webinar next week that may be of interest to wild insect researchers — with a discussion on the current state of knowledge about insect sentience and the possibility of insects feeling pain.

🗓️ October 20
🕐 1 pm EST
Sign up: luma.com/npwnyni8
What do we know about insect sentience? · Zoom · Luma
Welcome to the RP Strategic Animal Webinars and the talk and Q&A session: What do we know about insect sentience? Date: October 20, 2025 (10 AM PDT, 1 PM EDT,…
luma.com
October 12, 2025 at 3:45 PM
From adventures in Antarctica to adventures of the mind, WAI Research Manager Michaël Beaulieu has always been motivated by a desire to answer the most pressing questions about wild animal lives.
Breaking the ice with Research Manager Michaël Beaulieu — Wild Animal Initiative
June 11, 2025 Fresh out of vet school with his new DVM degree, in 2004 Michaël Beaulieu found himself seasick on a rickety boat bound for Terre Adélie, the narrow slice of Antarctica claimed by…
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October 9, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Wildlife contraceptives could be a humane population management tool — but they could also be used with the primary intention of improving wild animal welfare. Check out our 2024 Q&A with @simonliedholm.bsky.social to learn more: www.wildanimalinitiative.org/blog/wildlif...
Exploring the welfare benefits of wildlife contraception — Wild Animal Initiative
September 24, 2024 Wild Animal Initiative scientists published a paper this month discussing the potential for contraceptives to alleviate resource competition among wild animals, and the negative…
www.wildanimalinitiative.org
October 6, 2025 at 3:12 PM
By becoming a member of our free community, you'll join an international network of wild animal welfare researchers and practitioners, and hear about opportunities in the field.

#ecology #ecoevo #animalbehavior #animalwelfare #conservation 🧪
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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October 3, 2025 at 12:15 PM
🐦 Learn more about Marion's project here: www.wildanimalinitiative.org/grantees/mar...
October 2, 2025 at 1:11 PM
If you're a member of @thewildlifesociety.bsky.social, check out page 49 of the latest Wildlife Professional for an article on wild animal welfare by WAI Researcher and Education Specialist @dr-bff.bsky.social 🐿️

Let us know what you think!

#TheWildlifeSociety #TWS
Watch for the September/October issue of The Wildlife Professional in your mailbox. The magazine features a cover story on the Athabasca oil sands and a special focus on urban wildlife conservation.
The September/October issue of The Wildlife Professional - The Wildlife Society
Industry affects wildlife populations in the Alberta oil sands
wildlife.org
September 29, 2025 at 8:47 AM
We're excited to share an update on our grantees' research progress. Some highlights:

🧠 80 knowledge advances produced
🧪 83 indicators developed or improved
👩🏽‍🔬 583 people involved in project activities
🌍 37 workshops/webinars hosted

Visit our blog to read the full progress update:
Progress update on our grantees’ research projects — Wild Animal Initiative
September 9, 2025 Since 2022, our Grants Program has funded research on wild animal welfare — from validating ways to measure the welfare of free-living wild animals, to discovering the factors…
buff.ly
September 28, 2025 at 12:45 PM
We were excited to fund this project on crayfish welfare — arthropods whose welfare has not received a great deal of attention in the scientific literature so far. Check out the initial results on Bristol Zoological Society's blog.
Bristol Zoo Project
For over a year, the conservation team at Bristol Zoo has been assessing the welfare of crayfish during translocation.
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September 26, 2025 at 7:03 PM
📢 #CFP: We are now accepting #grant applications for research projects in wild animal welfare science.

To learn more about the grants we offer, what we're looking for, and how to apply, visit our grants page: www.wildanimalinitiative.org/grants

Submit your EOI by November 14.
Grants — Wild Animal Initiative
www.wildanimalinitiative.org
September 25, 2025 at 12:56 PM
WAI grantees Jess Harvey-Carroll and Daire Carroll developed a framework applying the well-established principle of the four Rs for animal welfare in research to ensure the ethical use of animal-borne devices during post-release monitoring of rehabilitated animals. buff.ly/MYqeG5Q
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September 18, 2025 at 3:05 PM
In case you missed it: We recently announced our latest round of #grant recipients. Visit our blog to learn more about the 15 projects we funded this year. www.wildanimalinitiative.org/blog/2025-gr...
Wild Animal Initiative awards 15 new research grants in 2025 — Wild Animal Initiative
August 8, 2025 Fifteen research projects have been selected to receive a total of $711,309 in grants from Wild Animal Initiative this year. Our Grants Program funds academic research on high-...
www.wildanimalinitiative.org
September 15, 2025 at 3:58 PM
If you'd like to stay up to date on news from Wild Animal Initiative, sign up for 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
September 12, 2025 at 3:31 PM
That’s a wrap on #AWRN2025!

Thanks so much to the organizers and to everyone who took part in today’s workshop on transferring welfare assessments to wild animals. We’re very grateful to have had the opportunity to help spotlight #wildanimalwelfare at this year’s meeting.
September 11, 2025 at 4:32 PM
We’re at #AWRN2025 this week, where we’re really excited that #wildanimalwelfare is being highlighted.

Wonderful to see some of our grantees taking center stage, including an opening plenary by María Diez Leon and a great talk by Ricardo Lemos de Figueiredo on crayfish welfare.
September 10, 2025 at 8:16 PM
Reposted by Wild Animal Initiative
Great introduction to Wild Animal Welfare science by Maria Díez León at #AWRN2025 🦦

Many challenges but many great opportunities too!

#WildAnimalWelfare @wildanimalinitv.bsky.social
September 10, 2025 at 1:54 PM