The Center for Wild Animal Welfare (CWAW - www.wildanimalwelfare.org) is a new policy advocacy organization, working to improve the lives of wild animals today and build support for wild animal welfare policy. Its work emphasizes near-term policy change while aiming to build longer-term recognition of wild animal welfare as a legitimate area of public policy.
Mission and approach
CWAW seeks to ensure that policymakers consider the welfare of individual wild animals affected by public decisions, including those related to urban infrastructure, fertility control, and pesticide use. The organization prioritizes interventions it views as tractable within existing policy processes, alongside broader efforts to expand political and institutional support for wild animal welfare.
Background
CWAW launched in late 2025. It was co-founded by Richard Parr MBE, a former UK Prime Minister’s policy adviser, and Ben Stevenson, a researcher with Animal Ask. CWAW operates with fiscal sponsorship from Rethink Priorities and has received support from organizations including Wild Animal Initiative and NYU’s Wild Animal Welfare Program.
Activities
CWAW engages with policymakers, politicians, media, and civil society organizations, and produces policy-relevant research and reports, including work on the current state of wild animal welfare policy. Its initial focus is on the United Kingdom, with the possibility of expanding to other jurisdictions in the future.