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Here's an easy-to-read blog post about the songbird trap that @verntasco.bsky.social and I designed (in case you don't want to read the journal article!).

Wildlife management aimed at maximizing the welfare of individual animals is a novel idea. How can we ensure it doesn't go wrong? 🧪 #wildlife #animalwelfare #environment

How cost-effective are interventions to improve wild animal welfare? A government program to vaccinate raccoons against rabies offers a glimpse at what’s possible. 🦝

WAI Researcher and Education Specialist @dr-bff.bsky.social's background in biology, ecology, and conservation equipped her with the skills and knowledge she needed to study wild animal welfare. Bonnie shares the story behind her career path in our new blog post.

In a new blog post, we share the strategy behind our decision to join the BAHSCR's Roundtable on Science and Welfare of Animals Involved in Research.

Remotely closing trap for targeted songbird capture 🪶🧪 @dr-bff.bsky.social shares how she developed this bycatch-eliminating trap on @fieldornith.bsky.social's blog. Learn more about the House Sparrow project that Bonnie designed this trap for: www.wildanimalinitiative.org/blog/house-s...

Watching banded mongooses suffer from tuberculosis was a turning point for @dr-bff.bsky.social. Now, wild animal welfare research has led her to a whole field of questions that ecology isn't asking.

🗓️ One week left to apply to be our Services Coordinator! If you're a lab manager, academic program or event coordinator, or early-career researcher passionate about building active and inclusive research communities, we'd love to hear from you.

In 2025, Wild Animal Initiative became a member of the BAHSCR's Roundtable on Science and Welfare of Animals Involved in Research. We're excited about the opportunities this partnership creates 👇️ buff.ly/6aYalMq

This is a time of upheaval in the scientific community. If you’re looking for ways to stay on track in your scientific career without relying on opportunities in government or academia, here are some ideas — including a role that’s open right now at Wild Animal Initiative.

WAI is hiring! If you know anyone who's great at building communities, coordinating programs, & supporting researchers—but doesn't want to be a PI themselves—send them our way. Remote, mission-driven, & a chance to help build a growing scientific field. www.wildanimalinitiative.org/services-coo...

📢 We're hiring! 📢 We're looking for a Services Coordinator to support our research community, managing community platforms and coordinating programs and events. Learn more and apply by March 2: www.wildanimalinitiative.org/services-coo...

🎓Training School: Phylogenetic Study of Affective States Across Species Join us in Thessaloniki, Greece (April 14-15) with experts Liz Paul, Mike Mendl, & László Garamszegi. 💰 16 fully-funded places available! Apply by Feb 23: 🔗 forms.office.com/e/U9jSVsH09S

Wild animal welfare postdoc opportunity! 👇

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/

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.

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.

In case you missed it: Check out our recap of the most exciting wild animal welfare research published in 2025. 🧪🐢 #animalwelfare #research #science #wildlife

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

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.

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

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

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:

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.

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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

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!

🧪 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...

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 🙃 ❄️ ⛄

🧪🐋 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

What does wild animal welfare research look like in practice? 👇

We recently shared the results of our latest staff diversity survey. Our JEDI Committee will use these results to make recommendations to our leadership team about how we can improve diversity and belonging at WAI.

🎤 WAI Science Director @lbbhecht.bsky.social took part in a panel discussion at #LSE last week that explored the #ethics of #conservation and wild animal welfare. You can watch a recording of the conversation below.

As a member of our research network, you'll be the first to hear about research opportunities and events in wild animal welfare science. Sign up to join our free research community here:

Our JEDI Committee conducts an annual survey of our staff diversity. In a new blog post, we share a summary of the most recent survey's results.

We recently shared an update on our house sparrow research project, which aims to validate house sparrow welfare indicators and explore how various environmental conditions affect their welfare. Visit our blog to get the latest on the project:

Be the first to hear about research positions, events, and career opportunities in and around wild animal welfare science — sign up to join our (free!) research community. Our listserv emails go out every other Friday.

Don't miss our latest research outputs and announcements — stay up to date with news from Wild Animal Initiative by signing up for our monthly newsletter. (We promise we won't spam you!)

In addition to awarding grants, Wild Animal Initiative produces original research in wild animal welfare science. 🧪 Learn more about our research priorities and meet our team of researchers:

🎤 WAI Science Director @lbbhecht.bsky.social took part in a panel discussion at #LSE last week that explored the #ethics of #conservation and wild animal welfare. You can watch a recording of the conversation below.

There's no one path to becoming a wild animal welfare scientist. We interviewed WAI Strategy Researcher @simonliedholm.bsky.social to learn about his.

📢❗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