Announcing the Launch of the NYU Wild Animal Welfare Program

We are thrilled to announce the launch of the NYU Wild Animal Welfare Program later this month!

The NYU Wild Animal Welfare (WAW) program aims to advance understanding about what wild animals are like, how humans and wild animals interact, and how humans can improve our interactions with wild animals at scale. We pursue this goal through foundational research in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, as well as through outreach to academics, advocates, policymakers, and the general public. The team includes Becca Franks and Jeff Sebo as co-directors, me (Sofia) as coordinator, and Arthur Caplan, Lucius Caviola, Kyle Ferguson, Jennifer Jacquet, Dale Jamieson, Colin Jerolmack, Sonali McDermid, Danielle Spiegel-Feld, Christine Webb, and others as faculty affiliates.

The program will launch on January 27, 2023 with a roundtable discussion titled "How can humans improve our interactions with wild animals at scale?" The panel will include program directors Becca Franks and Jeff Sebo and program affiliates Christine Webb, Colin Jerolmack, and Dale Jamieson.  The discussion will cover an array of topics including:

• Why does wild animal welfare matter more than ever?
• What are the most urgent and actionable issues confronting wild animals?
• How does wild animal welfare relate to conservation biology and other fields?

We will also have plenty of time for discussion with the audience. We welcome you to join us in person or online.

We will soon be announcing additional spring events as well as opportunities for early-career researchers. If you are interested in receiving occasional updates about our work and offerings, we encourage you to sign up for our email list.

Please also feel free to contact us with other inquiries.

This launch follows on the heels of our October 2022 launch of the NYU Mind, Ethics, and Policy Program, which may also be of interest to readers of this post.