“Evolution shouldn’t be interfered with,” say some opponents of wild animal welfare projects.

Wild Animal Initiative Executive Director Michelle Graham explores this idea in a talk she gave at this year’s Effective Altruism Global San Francisco.

First, she explains what exactly fitness means in the context of evolution. Then she illustrates how it can help us answer the core questions in wild animal welfare: Which animals feel pain? What are their lives like in the wild? What interventions will reliably improve their lives?

Finally, she tackles common misconceptions about the relationship between evolution, welfare, and welfare interventions.

If you stick around to the end, you’ll hear Michelle’s takes on some fascinating audience questions, including the state of welfare biology, the relevance of r/K selection theory, and whether the prefrontal cortex increases or decreases our capacity to suffer.