Dr. Anne Safiya Clay

Franco-Ricaine Social Scientist || Shared Health Program Specialist @NationalZoo || #conservation #animalwelfare #ethology #ethics #policy #health || views mine

[Dr. Anne Safiya Clay @asafiyaclay]

Find me on 🦋bluesky: (@)https://t.co/zoUctFOIju

[Marc Bekoff @MarcBekoff]

Animals Know More About Death and Dying Than We Often Assume

https://t.co/IHbHzNUsCf

The concept of death may be much easier to acquire than has usually been presupposed.
"Playing Possum" argues against emotional anthropocentrism.

https://t.co/7wRXCsrg7n

[Peter Sandøe @PeterSandoee]

Clare defends a pluralistic approach: wild animal welfare matters, but other concerns, including biodiversity concerns, matter too. @UFAW_1926

[Peter Sandøe @PeterSandoee]

In her concluding slide Clare sees an important role for animal welfare science. @UFAW_1926

[Wild Animal Initiative | @wildanimalinitv.bsky.soc @forwildanimals]

Andrea Townsend found that infection from the campylobacter pathogen affects spatial memory and performance in wild crows. Infectious diseases are on the rise, impeding decision-making in wild animals and affecting their welfare. #ABS2024

[Wild Animal Initiative | @wildanimalinitv.bsky.soc @forwildanimals]

Caleb Ryan found that white-nose syndrome disrupts complex maternity societies in little brown bats by killing off individuals who act as social brokers between groups. Could this research shed light on the early life experiences and welfare of juvenile bats? #ABS2024

[Wild Animal Initiative | @wildanimalinitv.bsky.soc @forwildanimals]

Which welfare states do juvenile individuals find themselves in when faced with multiple stressors? @xortizross uses modeling to understand the cumulative effects of stressors on pup and yearling marmots in the wild. #ABS2024

[Wild Animal Initiative | @wildanimalinitv.bsky.soc @forwildanimals]

How might wild animal welfare knowledge shed light on the resilience of individuals in the face of extreme weather events? @HexSeverine explores how social bonds help zebras navigate harsh drought conditions. #ABS2024

[Wild Animal Initiative | @wildanimalinitv.bsky.soc @forwildanimals]

The body condition of juvenile magpies depends on their parents’ personalities. Urban environments may cause negative welfare states in neophilic magpies, leading them to neglect their fledglings, according to Hyo Hyun Kim. #ABS2024

[Wild Animal Initiative | @wildanimalinitv.bsky.soc @forwildanimals]

“How does wildlife experience cities from their perspective?” asks @bendybiologist, who considers animal experiences when looking at behavioral variation, personality, and pollution tolerance in urban squirrels across the cityscape. #ABS2024

[Wild Animal Initiative | @wildanimalinitv.bsky.soc @forwildanimals]

In today’s #ABS2024 plenary, @DrLAviles explains that different levels of cooperation in spider colonies allow them to partition habitat resources effectively. How might individual welfare states drive similar ecological functions?

[Wild Animal Initiative | @wildanimalinitv.bsky.soc @forwildanimals]

“Animals do not live in a vacuum,” says Sepidar Golestaneh, who measures how traditional research methods affect the behavior of little brown bats. Studying behavior & welfare can be hard when animals behave in response to scientists who want to observe natural behavior. #ABS2024

[Wild Animal Initiative | @wildanimalinitv.bsky.soc @forwildanimals]

Michela Contursi observed dawn swarming behavior in little brown bats to understand how they communicate and interact — research that could shed more light on the affective experiences of highly social wild animals. #ABS2024

[Wild Animal Initiative | @wildanimalinitv.bsky.soc @forwildanimals]

"We need to better understand factors shaping insect communities," says Leah Gath, who looks at how insects communicate vibrational signals through plant stems and leaves. How might competition for acoustic space affect the welfare of invertebrate individuals? #ABS2024

[Wild Animal Initiative | @wildanimalinitv.bsky.soc @forwildanimals]

We have a lot to learn about invertebrates' behavior if we want to understand their welfare states. @DrTainaConrad found that beetle parents produce stridulation sounds to communicate with each other and their offspring at different life phases. #ABS2024

[Wild Animal Initiative | @wildanimalinitv.bsky.soc @forwildanimals]

How might social relationships lead to more positive welfare states? @ljnbrent introduces a framework to understand the function of social connections and the ways quality or quantity address socio-ecological pressures in macaques. #ABS2024

[Wild Animal Initiative | @wildanimalinitv.bsky.soc @forwildanimals]

Day 2 of #ABS2024 opens with a plenary talk by @rosvall_lab on how nature builds aggressive birds. Limited availability of nesting sites in the wild increases competition and aggression in female swallows, affecting individuals' welfare states.

[Wild Animal Initiative | @wildanimalinitv.bsky.soc @forwildanimals]

@DaveDaversa discusses allostasis, an essential system that helps wild animals respond to threats in their surroundings — but at the cost of rapid biological aging, which negatively impacts welfare in stressful environments. #ABS2024

[Wild Animal Initiative | @wildanimalinitv.bsky.soc @forwildanimals]

@Janirecas discusses the consequences of not considering welfare in wildlife research. #ABS2024

[Wild Animal Initiative | @wildanimalinitv.bsky.soc @forwildanimals]

@Lauren_Stanton_ draws connections between the welfare of wild mesocarnivores and socioeconomic inequities in urban landscapes. Urban animals face an unequal distribution of threats to welfare across the cityscape. #ABS2024