In honor of Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) founder and longtime wildlife advocate Mrs. Christine Stevens, a grant program was established in 2006 to support research on innovative techniques and products intended to advance non-lethal wildlife management practices. AWI received 17 applications, and five $10,000 grants were awarded for diverse research projects on chemical toxicants and birds, guard dogs for livestock, a humane device for protecting cattle from wolves, non-invasive white-tailed deer sampling techniques, and the assessment of a non-lethal predator control model.
Mrs. Stevens was ahead of her time from the earliest days of AWI’s founding. In addition to supporting the development of new products and techniques, she devoted half a century to campaigning for humane wildlife control measures, such as banning steel-jaw leghold traps and poisonous baits, and using birth control vaccines as a way to control overpopulation.
AWI continues Mrs. Stevens’ legacy through this award and is now accepting applications for 2007. We hope to fund a wide variety of studies that may shed light on ways to resolve conflicts between species, determine the effectiveness of a new wildlife management tool, or test new methodologies for humane wildlife research. We give warm thanks to the Josephine S. Fox Foundation for its assistance in establishing this program and its commitment to supporting one of the grants each year.
Introducing Animal Welfare Approved
Celebrating 30 Years of Preserving Breeds
Smithfield in the News: Progress or Persiflage?
Biologist Robert Schmidt Joins AWI Scientific Committee
EU Bans Import of Wild-Caught Birds; CITES Takes Issue
Maine’s Archaic Trapping Regulations Must Change
Call for Proposals: AWI Seeks Applicants for the 2007 Christine Stevens Wildlife Awards
Intelligent Humpbacks Possess Rare Brain Cells
Ocean Inhabitants Could Disappear by the Year 2048
Sharks Receive Protection in the Southern Ocean and off the West African Coast
Will the US Ban Destructive Fishing?
China's Baiji Dolphins Declared Extinct
Young Jersey cattle graze on lush pastures at the Cates Family Farm in Wisconsin (photo by Diane Halverson). At this Animal Welfare Approved farm, Kim and Dick Cates buy male calves from local dairy farmers and raise them for beef. The Cates’ dedication to family farming and sustainable land and forest management is well-known. Considering the welfare of their calves, who would have otherwise been sent to auction houses or intensive veal operations, is a natural part of their overall commitment to caring for the earth and its inhabitants.
The Animal Welfare Approved husbandry standards for all species, including cattle raised for beef, mandate the provision of an environment, housing and diet that is designed to allow animals to behave naturally. Each animal must be able to perform behaviors that promote their physiological and psychological health and well-being.