Wildlife Management and Animal Welfare
The Wildlife Management and Animal Welfare team conducts research and provides advice for various policy divisions of Defra, particularly the European Wildlife Division (EWD) and the Animal Health and Welfare Directorate (AHWD). Our main aim is to develop a coherent strategy for wildlife management and animal welfare research and development.
Our research and advice focuses on two broad areas:
The development of novel, and improvement of existing, wildlife management techniques,
The assessment of the animal welfare consequences of various forms of human/animal interactions (eg. trapping pest species, transporting livestock).
Wildlife management is becoming increasingly important as conflicts between humans and wild animals escalate. At the same time, there is increasing public pressure to ensure that the techniques used are humane as well as effective, and one of our main areas of expertise is the assessment and improvement of humane wildlife management techniques. Our Animal Welfare Unit also conducts research on farm, laboratory and zoo animals.
Activities
The team provides expert policy advice and guidance to both Government and the European Commission on wildlife management and animal welfare issues, and to commercial parties on wildlife management and humaneness issues. We play a key role in ensuring that Defra policy is fully reflected in national and international initiatives. We also work to ensure that new and improved approaches are put into practice through technology transfer, while consolidating our national and international profile through participation in collaborative projects.
We work closely with the international wildlife management community, through collaboration on studies, support for international initiatives and through international conferences. Our international role is particularly evident in the field of wildlife fertility control, through an international programme of research led by CSL, a Cooperative Research Agreement with the US National Wildlife Research Centre, and membership of the Australian Invasive Animal Cooperative Research Centre.
We seek to deliver our objectives by developing new and improved wildlife management strategies based on sound science, fully utilising and integrating the team's core skills in wildlife biology and animal welfare. We also work to develop non-invasive technology for assessing animal welfare.
Our work seeks to develop a fundamental understanding of the interactions between physiology and behaviour in the assessment of the welfare implications of a range of animal/human interactions.
Achievements
- Development of new wildlife and captive-animal management techniques.
- Major involvement in development of policies on snaring, hunting with dogs and badger management.
- Nominated to provide advice and services to the EU on the requirements and implementation of the proposed Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards.
Recent publications
(NOTE: all publications listed as 'in press')