[3 of 6]âWhen does WAI expect to produce its first real-world intervention or policy shift e.g. is there anything concrete expected this decade?â
Mandatory annoying disclaimer: For the reasons discussed in my preceding comment, I donât think âtime till first intervention implementationâ is a useful proxy for the pace of field growth or the fidelity of its trajectory.
But to answer your question:
First past the post: Backyard bird habitat improvements in 1-2 years
WAI funded Ross MacLeod and colleagues to validate the use of eye temperature (assessed via thermal imaging) as an indicator of the welfare of several common bird species. If they find the metric to be usable as hypothesized, they can draw on over ten years of data theyâve collected from 54 backyard-like sites constructed to manipulate variables like bird feeder location, fencing presence/âabsence, and hedge species. If they find significant differences, Ross plans to use his longstanding relationships with the RSPCA and other UK bird groups to disseminate the first ever guidance on how bird lovers can set up their gardens to be more subjectively enjoyable for the birds that visit them.
Clearly this isnât the most pressing issue facing wild animals, but happens to be on track to be the first of many cases where WAI-funded research identifies ways people can improve wild animal welfare by making simple changes to existing activities.
First high-confidence scalable intervention: Rodent fertility control in 4-7 years
Replacing anticoagulant rodenticides with oral contraceptives would remove a widespread source of intense, prolonged suffering. Because this would be modifying existing population management practices rather than changing an ecosystem in a novel way, fertility control offers an unusually convenient opportunity to reduce the suffering of a target population with minimal likelihood of affecting non-target populations.
Unfortunately, existing products have attracted more hype than the research supports, which has led to repeated failures of pilot projects launched by groups unaware of this track record.But because these compounds work in lab settings, there is strong reason to believe that an effective rodent contraceptive product can be developed (or that existing products could be made effective by following different application methodologies).
WAI has partnered with Conservation X Labs and the Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control to outline a process for running a research competition that would incentivize private R&D labs to close crucial knowledge gaps and develop a demonstrably effective product. If funding allows, weâll launch this process in summer 2026. It will take at least a year or two to run the research competition, and likely several more years to get a new product to market.
Once an effective solution is commercially available, it can be applied at larger and larger scales as it is adopted across more cities, farms, factories, and conservation efforts (invasive rodents are a major threat to rare species on remote islands).
Thanks for laying these out. I have to be honest: I donât think these examples justify the current scale of investment.
A backyard bird-feeder optimisation study isnât remotely proportional to the millions deployed so far, nor to the moral stakes that originally motivated WAIâs existence.
The rodent fertility control pathway sounds more promising, but again: a best-case 4â7 year pathway if funding materialises, if the competition succeeds, and if a viable product emerges.
If these are the strongest examples of expected real-world impact this decade, then that reinforces my original concern: the current spend-to-impact ratio looks extremely low, and the strategic timeline still feels unanchored.
[3 of 6] âWhen does WAI expect to produce its first real-world intervention or policy shift e.g. is there anything concrete expected this decade?â
Mandatory annoying disclaimer: For the reasons discussed in my preceding comment, I donât think âtime till first intervention implementationâ is a useful proxy for the pace of field growth or the fidelity of its trajectory.
But to answer your question:
First past the post: Backyard bird habitat improvements in 1-2 years
WAI funded Ross MacLeod and colleagues to validate the use of eye temperature (assessed via thermal imaging) as an indicator of the welfare of several common bird species. If they find the metric to be usable as hypothesized, they can draw on over ten years of data theyâve collected from 54 backyard-like sites constructed to manipulate variables like bird feeder location, fencing presence/âabsence, and hedge species. If they find significant differences, Ross plans to use his longstanding relationships with the RSPCA and other UK bird groups to disseminate the first ever guidance on how bird lovers can set up their gardens to be more subjectively enjoyable for the birds that visit them.
Clearly this isnât the most pressing issue facing wild animals, but happens to be on track to be the first of many cases where WAI-funded research identifies ways people can improve wild animal welfare by making simple changes to existing activities.
First high-confidence scalable intervention: Rodent fertility control in 4-7 years
Replacing anticoagulant rodenticides with oral contraceptives would remove a widespread source of intense, prolonged suffering. Because this would be modifying existing population management practices rather than changing an ecosystem in a novel way, fertility control offers an unusually convenient opportunity to reduce the suffering of a target population with minimal likelihood of affecting non-target populations.
Unfortunately, existing products have attracted more hype than the research supports, which has led to repeated failures of pilot projects launched by groups unaware of this track record.But because these compounds work in lab settings, there is strong reason to believe that an effective rodent contraceptive product can be developed (or that existing products could be made effective by following different application methodologies).
WAI has partnered with Conservation X Labs and the Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control to outline a process for running a research competition that would incentivize private R&D labs to close crucial knowledge gaps and develop a demonstrably effective product. If funding allows, weâll launch this process in summer 2026. It will take at least a year or two to run the research competition, and likely several more years to get a new product to market.
Once an effective solution is commercially available, it can be applied at larger and larger scales as it is adopted across more cities, farms, factories, and conservation efforts (invasive rodents are a major threat to rare species on remote islands).
Thanks for laying these out. I have to be honest: I donât think these examples justify the current scale of investment.
A backyard bird-feeder optimisation study isnât remotely proportional to the millions deployed so far, nor to the moral stakes that originally motivated WAIâs existence.
The rodent fertility control pathway sounds more promising, but again: a best-case 4â7 year pathway if funding materialises, if the competition succeeds, and if a viable product emerges.
If these are the strongest examples of expected real-world impact this decade, then that reinforces my original concern: the current spend-to-impact ratio looks extremely low, and the strategic timeline still feels unanchored.