About the event

Whether wild animal welfare is mostly positive or negative is the subject of debate, especially as it may hold implications for our interactions with wild animals. In this panel discussion, Heather Browning and Oscar Horta will discuss the cases for optimism and pessimism about this issue. First, Horta will argue that negative experiences might be much more widespread than many think, noting how many wild animals suffer from premature mortality, and making the case for prioritizing the prevention of suffering in cases of uncertainty. Browning will then argue that positive experiences might be overlooked as well, highlighting the possible baseline "joy of living," and making the case that wild animals have many opportunities for positive experience and that some negative experiences might not be as bad as commonly assumed. Following these presentations, there will be time for discussion with the moderators and audience.

About the speaker

Meghan Barrett is an assistant professor of biology at Indiana University Indianapolis where she researches insect neuroscience and farmed insect welfare. She is also the founding director of the Insect Welfare Research Society. She earned her PhD in Biology and MS in Education from Drexel University in 2022, working on the neurobiology and thermal physiology of solitary desert bees. She was a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow at California State University Dominguez Hills from 2022-2023. Barrett has published over forty articles and book chapters about insect neuroscience, physiology, and ethics. 

About the event

Whether wild animal welfare is mostly positive or negative is the subject of debate, especially as it may hold implications for our interactions with wild animals. In this panel discussion, Heather Browning and Oscar Horta will discuss the cases for optimism and pessimism about this issue. First, Horta will argue that negative experiences might be much more widespread than many think, noting how many wild animals suffer from premature mortality, and making the case for prioritizing the prevention of suffering in cases of uncertainty. Browning will then argue that positive experiences might be overlooked as well, highlighting the possible baseline "joy of living," and making the case that wild animals have many opportunities for positive experience and that some negative experiences might not be as bad as commonly assumed. Following these presentations, there will be time for discussion with the moderators and audience.

About the speakers

Heather Browning is a Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Southampton. She specializes in animal welfare, sentience, and ethics, with particular interests in welfare measurement and wild animal welfare. Prior to her current position, she worked as a researcher in animal sentience and welfare at the London School of Economics, as part of the Foundations of Animal Sentience project. Alongside her academic career, Browning has also worked as a zookeeper and animal welfare officer.

Oscar Horta is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Santiago de Compostela. He works on normative and applied problems in ethics, with a focus on animals. He has been involved in animal advocacy for more than three decades and was a founding member of Animal Ethics.

About the event

This event featured an engaging conversation between acclaimed authors Peter Brown, author of The Wild Robot series, and Eliot Schrefer, author of Queer Ducks (and Other Animals). These authors have crafted stories where nonhumans—whether animals or machines with distinctive qualities—take center stage. During the event, Peter and Eliot discussed how they bring their characters to life, and how these characters challenge human perceptions of sentience, agency, and emotionality. Following a conversation between the speakers, in-person and online guests were free to ask questions. The event closed with a free vegan reception and book signing for in-person guests.

About the speakers

Peter Brown writes and illustrates books for children. His picture books include The Curious Garden, Children Make Terrible Pets, and Mr. Tiger Goes Wild. His work has earned numerous honors, such as a Horn Book Award, a Children’s Choice Illustrator of the Year Award, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award, and a Caldecott Honor. Peter’s #1 New York Times bestselling novel for children, The Wild Robot, was the inspiration for the animated film from DreamWorks. He lives in Maine with his wife, X. Fang, who is also an author and illustrator. Visit Peter at www.peterbrownstudio.com. 

Eliot Schrefer is a New York Times-bestselling author, has twice been a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, received the Stonewall Honor for best LGBTQIA+ teen book, and received the Printz Honor for best young adult book from the ALA. In naming him an Editor’s Choice, the New York Times has called his work “dazzling… big-hearted.” His science writing has appeared in Discover, Sierra, USAToday, Nautilus, and The Washington Post Magazine. He has an M.A. in Animal Studies from NYU, is on the faculty of the Hamline MFA for writing for young people, and lives with his husband in New York City.

This event was hosted by the NYU Wild Animal Welfare Program and the NYU Center for Mind, Ethics, and Policy. Thank you to NYU Animal Studies, NYU Environmental Humanities, and NYU Experimental Humanities for supporting this event.

November 2024 | Recording

About the event

Current approaches in environmental conservation do not sufficiently recognize the agency of wild animals, meaningfully affecting the outcomes of conservation interventions. In this conversation, the authors of two recent articles on this topic will discuss how understanding individual differences in animal personalities and behaviors can transform conservation strategies. The speakers will explore how acknowledging animals as social and cultural beings with agency would help conservationists design more effective practices for the long term. By reshaping traditional assumptions and embracing animal individuality, conservation can better balance the needs of wildlife and humans in shared spaces. Following a moderated conversation between the panelists, there will also be time for audience questions.

About the speakers

A professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, Marc Bekoff has published 31 books (or 41, depending on how you count multi-volume encyclopedias). He has won many awards for his research on animal behavior, animal emotions (cognitive ethology), compassionate conservation, and animal protection, has worked closely with Jane Goodall as co-chair of the ethics committee of the Jane Goodall Institute, and is a former Guggenheim Fellow. He also works closely with inmates at the Boulder County Jail. 

Matthew Hayek is an environmental scientist and Assistant Professor in the NYU Department of Environmental Studies. His research quantifies the environmental impacts of our food system, with a specific focus on farmed animals, their greenhouse gas emissions such as methane, and land use changes including deforestation. His work has also interrogated how these environmental impacts intersect with farmed animal welfare, wildlife habitat, zoonotic diseases, and how policies can address these intersecting risks. Dr. Hayek received his PhD in Environmental Science and Engineering from Harvard University, which was followed by a postdoc appointment at the Harvard Law School Animal Law and Policy Program. He is also an affiliated faculty member in the NYU Center for Data Science and the NYU Wild Animal Welfare Program.

Thank you to NYU Animal Studies for supporting this event.

October 2024 | Recording

About the talk

American environmental law has an animal problem. It lacks an account of whether and how animals’ interests matter. Case in point: The agencies tasked with protecting wild animals can’t stop killing them. NOAA Fisheries permits slaying sea lions to reduce predation on endangered salmon. The Fish and Wildlife Service shoots barred owls to curb competition with northern spotted owls. These widespread “removals” reflect a tension between protecting ecological collectives, such as species and ecosystems, and protecting individual animals. In her talk, Jacewicz will explain how laws create ethical conundrums for wildlife management and how federal agencies weigh traditional conservationist values against more recent concerns for individual animals' wellbeing. To improve on the status quo, she will suggest ways to better incorporate individual animal wellbeing into wildlife management decisions in the removal context. Finally, she will discuss ongoing research about how technological advances in geotracking, camera surveillance, and other methods could further individualize wildlife management.

About the speaker

Natalie Jacewicz is an assistant professor of environmental law at the University of San Diego School of Law. Her recent scholarship has focused on the intersection of environmental law, administrative law, and animal welfare. Prior to entering academia, Jacewicz was a Furman Fellow at NYU School of Law and a legal fellow at the Institute for Policy Integrity. She clerked for the Honorable Judge Moss of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and the Honorable Judge Tatel of the D.C. Circuit. Jacewicz holds a J.D. from NYU, a science journalism degree from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a bachelor's degree in evolutionary biology from Harvard, where she spent most of her time thinking about lizards.

Thank you to our co-sponsors for supporting this event

NYU Mind, Ethics, and Policy Program

NYU Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness

NYU Center for Bioethics

NYU Animal Studies

Thank you to the NYU Guarini Center on Environmental, Energy, and Land Use Law for co-sponsoring this event

About the event

This symposium will explore new directions and connections for wild animal welfare. There will be talks on issues related to wild aquatic animals, wild invertebrates, and the links between animal and environmental protection. In addition to the presentations, there will also be opportunities for audience Q&A.

About the talks and speakers

Marine Mammals in Entertainment Parks

Lori Marino

Lori Marino is a neuroscientist and adjunct professor of Animal Studies at New York University.  She is the founder and President of the Whale Sanctuary Project and Executive Director of The Kimmela Center for Scholarship-based Animal Advocacy. Lori’s scientific work focuses on the evolution of the brain and intelligence in dolphins and whales (as well as primates and farmed animals), and on the effects of captivity on wild animals. She has published over 140 peer-reviewed scientific papers, book chapters, and magazine articles in these areas. Lori also works at the intersection of science and animal law and policy and is the co-director (with Professor Kathy Hessler) of the Animal Law and Science Project at George Washington University.

The Emergence of Insect Law and Ethics

Rajesh K. Reddy

Rajesh K. Reddy directs the Animal Law Program at the Center for Animal Law Studies at Lewis & Clark Law School, where he teaches International Animal Law, Animal Legal Philosophy, and an Emerging Topics in Animal Law course focused on the protection of insects. Outside of Lewis & Clark, Raj co-chairs the International subcommittee of the American Bar Association's Animal Law Section and sits on the boards of World Animal Protection, Minding Animals International, and the International Coalition for Animal Protection.

How to Think About Wild Animal Welfare

Dale Jamieson

Dale Jamieson is Director of the Center for Environmental and Animal Protection, Affiliated Professor of Law, Medical Ethics and Professor Emeritus at NYU where he was founding Director of the Environmental Studies Program, and Professor of Philosophy. His work centers on how to live ethical lives in the Anthropocene, both as an individual actor and as a political agent. The second edition of his book, Ethics and the Environment: An Introduction is forthcoming from Cambridge University Press.

About the keynote speaker

Catia Faria is a PhD in Moral Philosophy from Pompeu Fabra University and a founding member of the Center for Animal Ethics at the same university. She is a professor of moral philosophy in the Department of Philosophy and Society at the Complutense University of Madrid. She has been a postdoctoral researcher at the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. She works in normative and applied ethics, in particular, on issues of animal ethics, feminist ethics, and the ethics of artificial intelligence. Her book Animal Ethics in the Wild: Wild Animal Suffering and Intervention in Nature has recently been published by Cambridge University Press.

October 2023 | Recording

About the talk

Animals suffer injustice at our hands: the cruelties of the factory farming industry, poaching and trophy hunting, assaults on the habitats of many creatures, and innumerable other instances of cruelty and neglect. Human domination is everywhere: in the seas, where marine mammals die from ingesting plastic; in the skies, where migratory birds die in large numbers from air pollution; and, obviously, on the land, where the habitats of many large mammals have been destroyed almost beyond repair. Addressing these large problems requires dedicated work and effort. But it also requires a good normative theory to direct our efforts. Nussbaum will argue that an approach based on her version of the Capabilities Approach is the one we need, and will show how it directs our efforts better than rival approaches.

About the speaker

Martha C. Nussbaum is the Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics, appointed in the Law School and Philosophy Department at the University of Chicago. She is an Associate in the Classics Department, the Divinity School, and the Political Science Department, a Member of the Committee on Southern Asian Studies, and a Board Member of the Human Rights Program. She has also taught at Harvard University, Brown University, and Oxford University. While teaching at Brown, Nussbaum was a research advisor at the World Institute for Development Economics Research, Helsinki, a part of the United Nations University. She has chaired the American Philosophical Association’s Committee on International Cooperation, the Committee on the Status of Women, and the Committee for Public Philosophy. Martha has received honorary degrees from 66 colleges and universities in the US, Canada, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. She is an Academician in the Academy of Finland, a Fellow of the British Academy, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society, and the recipient of numerous awards. Her latest book, Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility, appeared in January 2023.

September 2023 | Recording

About the talk

An increasing number of theorists are challenging the idea that only humans can engage in politics, and propose that humans must learn how to do politics with animals. But what does it mean to do politics with animals, particularly wild animals? Will began with two recent proposals in the literature. The first focused on the institutional representation of animals’ interests in human political decision-making processes. The second focused on the growing ethological evidence that wild animals have their own sophisticated capacities for collective decision making, and proposes that they should be seen as forming their own self-determining communities. While both of these proposals are important, neither offers an account of politics as something that humans and animals do together, of how humans and animals can co-author shared norms about shared spaces. Will concluded with some speculations about what joint human-animal politics might look like, including ideas about how humans and other animals can jointly govern an interspecies commons.

About the speaker

Will Kymlicka is the Canada Research Chair in Political Philosophy in the Philosophy Department at Queen's University in Kingston, Canada, where he has taught since 1998. He is the co-author with Sue Donaldson of Zoopolis: A Political Theory of Animal Rights, published by Oxford University Press in 2011.

January 2023 | Recording

About the event

The NYU Wild Animal Welfare Program launched with a roundtable discussion between program directors Becca Franks and Jeff Sebo and program affiliates Christine Webb, Colin Jerolmack, and Dale Jamieson. The discussion covered an array of topics including: Why does wild animal welfare matter more than ever? What are the most urgent and actionable issues confronting wild animals? and How does wild animal welfare relate to conservation biology and other fields?