Center for Wild Animal Welfare

The Center for Wild Animal Welfare (CWAW) is a new policy advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of wild animals today and building support for wild animal welfare as a legitimate policy concern.

We've already started engaging policymakers on wild animal-friendly urban infrastructure (e.g. bird-safe glass). In 2026, we plan to work on additional policy areas like fertility control and pesticide policy.

A generous donor has pledged $60,000 in matched funding.

Who we are

• CWAW is co-founded by Richard Parr MBE (former adviser to the UK Prime Minister) and Ben Stevenson (researcher with Animal Ask)
• We are one of the first organizations focused exclusively on promoting evidence-based wild animal welfare policy
• We are endorsed by Wild Animal Initiative, the NYU Wild Animal Welfare Program and Animal Ethics

Why wild animal welfare policy?

• Wild animal welfare is one of the world's biggest problems. Wild animals face immense suffering from human activities and natural hardships
• It's extremely neglected. The US spends 500x more on companion animal welfare than the entire world spends on wild animal welfare
• It's tractable. Wild animal welfare science is beginning to identify ways we can help
• Policy is the right approach because government decisions impact countless wild animals, and governments have the capacity and authority to make large-scale changes

What we've achieved

• Secured two amendments to the UK's Planning and Infrastructure Bill mandating systemic consideration of wild animal welfare during construction and conservation
• Secured sympathetic discussion of wild animal welfare in UK Parliament

What we'll do in 2026

• Continue our work on urban infrastructure
• Start work on fertility control (e.g. research funding, expedited regulatory approval)
• Start work on pesticide policy (e.g. bans on the worst rodenticides, research funding for humane insecticides)
• Agenda-setting (e.g. publish a State of Wild Animal Welfare Policy report)

We've selected policy areas that look realistic, robust and helpful. We'll work by engaging policymakers, politicians, the media, and NGOs; and by publishing policy reports. For now, we're focused on the UK, but we want to see wild animal welfare policy succeed globally.

We need your support

CWAW needs additional support to increase our team's capacity, attend key conferences, and cover operational costs. A generous donor will match the next $60,000 on a 1:1 basis.

How to donate

• Every.org covers processing fees for ACH (bank) transfers, stock gifts, and DAF donations, so 100% of your donation reaches our organization when you use these payment methods. For credit card and PayPal/Venmo donations, we incur a small processing fee (2.2% + $0.30 per transaction), although you have the option to cover these fees.
• We’re grateful for donations of all sizes. To help us keep administrative costs low and direct more resources to our work, we suggest a minimum contribution of $50. For donors considering monthly gifts below $50, quarterly or semi-annual contributions can be a great alternative that still spreads support across the year. We truly appreciate your contribution.
• Donations made through Every.org are tax-deductible in the United States. We can also accept tax-deductible donations from a number of different countries, including the UK, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, and more. If you are donating from outside the US, please refer to the information on this page (you may need to scroll down). You can donate to our fiscal sponsor, Rethink Priorities, through one of the listed channels and then email development@rethinkpriorities.org and team@wildanimalwelfare.org to indicate that the donation should be earmarked for the Center for Wild Animal Welfare. If you have any questions, please contact us or development@rethinkpriorities.org. Thank you!