Hi Friend,



February was all about building up the momentum to make 2020 our most impactful year yet.



We designed a new program, critically evaluated our research priorities, explored new projects, pitched an innovative research framework at a key conference, and coordinated closely with allied organizations.



Thanks for everything you do to make these developments possible!



All my best,

Cameron



P.S. Assuming it’s not canceled in the name of epidemic prevention (updates here), we’d love to see you at Effective Altruism Global in San Francisco! We’re hosting a Wild Animal Welfare Meetup 4:00-6:00 pm, Friday, March 20 in the Lark Creek meeting room. We’ll also be at the career fair 6:00-10:00 pm the same night in Hall A+B. Feel free to reach out to Michelle or me if you’d like to schedule a chat some other time that weekend.



February Highlights

Research Wild Animal Initiative’s first journal article went to print after being published online in January. In it, Researcher Jane Capozzelli, Researcher Luke Hecht, and our University of Missouri collaborator Dr. Samniqueka Halsey illuminate the connections between restoration ecology and wild animal welfare

Our research team took a step back from their usual projects to critically review our research agenda and identify top priorities for the year. So many research ideas, so little time!

As part of this exploratory phase, Researcher Simon Eckerström Liedholm consulted with two pathbreaking academics to evaluate the feasibility of a potential environmental policy project.

On a personal vacation to New Zealand’s South Island, Jane was intrigued to observe their culture of predator control. Many environmentalists, government officials, hunters, and farmers enthusiastically participate in an ambitious project to rid the country of its invasive mammals by 2025 because of the risk they pose to native birds. Current methods include trapping, shooting, and dropping poison pellets from planes. The controversy around these programs could represent a promising opportunity to incorporate wild animal welfare into public policy.

Outreach This year we’re launching a new program to help academics fund research on wild animal welfare. Executive Director Michelle Graham planned the program, got academics’ feedback, started a database of promising funding sources, and met with our first grant seeker.

At the British Ecological Society’s Multiple Values of Nature conference, Luke demonstrated how expanding our definition of ecosystem services to include wild animals allows us to more fully account for the value of nature. Jane and Deputy Director Cameron Meyer Shorb contributed.

The RE3 2020 Conference accepted Jane’s and Luke’s abstract. Their poster is titled “Restoring Connections: Reversing People's Estrangement from Nature by Empowering Positive Human-Wildlife Relationships in Human-Modified Landscapes.”

Michelle facilitated the sharing of quarterly updates between Wild Animal Initiative and our friends at Animal Ethics and Rethink Priorities

Michelle helped organize this year’s Wild Animal Welfare Summit, where we’ll coordinate our work with allied nonprofits in both wild and farmed animal welfare.

Organizational growth We’ve made small changes to our blog in preparation for big changes ahead. This year, in addition to our Papers (white papers and peer-reviewed articles), we’ll be sharing more short Research Notes, Opinion pieces, and organizational News. You can now sort by these categories on the blog - or just go for Talks if you’d rather listen.

How’s your Wild Animal Initiative elevator pitch? Brush up with our new “ About Us ” statement.

We completed our theory of change and used it to set new organizational priorities for the year.

Michelle found a way to get our employees better healthcare, save staff time on legal compliance, and save money - so your donations can go even further!