AZA awards nearly $200,000 through the Animal Care and Wellbeing Grants Fund in 2025

Silver Spring, Md. (December 23, 2025) - The Association of Zoos and Aquariums, with support from the Walt Disney World Company and other donors, is proud to announce the distribution of $193,828 to four projects through the Animal Care and Wellbeing Grants Fund.

The Animal Care and Wellbeing Grants Fund supports applied animal welfare research projects that address knowledge gaps and enhance understanding of animal wellbeing. The Fund also supports the development of new training and education opportunities to enable staff to apply the latest science in their work, ensuring the wellbeing of the animals in their care.

This year, 33 eligible applicants applied, requesting a total of over $1.1 million. The applications included 28 research projects and five projects focused on staff training and education.

Following a thorough selection process, four research projects received funding. Three of these projects focus on mammalian species, while the largest project encompasses various aquatic species, including both fish and invertebrates.

"The rise in applications and funding requests this year highlights the vital need that the Animal Care and Wellbeing Grants Fund is fulfilling in our community," said Dan Ashe, president and CEO of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. "While we would love to fund every project, those chosen this year distinguished themselves among an extremely competitive group of submissions."

AZA congratulates the following 2025 Animal Care and Wellbeing Grants Fund recipients:

PantherAI: An autonomous behavioural monitoring tool for assessing activity budget and space use in zoo-housed tigers
Dr. Molly McGuire and Li-Dunn Chen, Toronto Zoo
Awarded: $17,250

This project aims to advance PantherAI, a computer vision-based tool trained on CCTV footage of zoo-housed tigers (Panthera tigris), to enable 24/7 automated welfare monitoring in newly constructed habitats at the Toronto Zoo. By streamlining behavioural data collection, PantherAI aims to provide a scalable, unobtrusive welfare assessment tool that informs daily management decisions and tracks the impacts of husbandry changes in real time. This project will be a critical step toward the broader deployment of automated monitoring systems in zoos and conservation centres.

Measuring Aquatic Acquisition Welfare: Determining the Impact of Collection Location, Transportation, And Quarantine Methods on Several Species of Fish and Invertebrates
Becky Ellsworth, Dr. Brittany Fischer and Dr. Katie Seeley, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
Awarded: $96,795

This multi-year research project will assess how collection location, transportation and quarantine methods affect the wellbeing and longevity of cartilaginous fish, bony fish, corals and other invertebrate species. The multidisciplinary approach will consist of behavioral and physiological indicators gathered through live and video recordings, as well as plasma, hemolymph and water samples. Findings will inform evidence-based practices to improve the wellbeing of fish and invertebrate species in public aquariums.

Molecular signatures: serum biomarkers as new diagnostic tools for gastrointestinal diseases in the maned wolf
Drs. Nucharin Songsasen, Budhan Pukazhenthi, Jennifer Nagashima and Kristina Delaski, Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute
Awarded: $49,400

This project aims to develop biomarkers for early diagnosis of gastrointestinal disease in maned wolves, a leading cause of mortality for the species, to enable timely medical and management interventions. The project will employ a proteomic approach, and the findings will provide insights into the mechanisms underlying GI disorders and aid in the development of biomarker panels for early diagnosis, disease monitoring treatment, and maintenance of clinical remission.

Application and validation of physiological and behavioral assessment tools for evaluating welfare throughout inter-institutional transfers in western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)
Drs. Kylen Gartland, Grace Fuller and Marietta Danforth, Detroit Zoological Society; Dr. Priya Bapodra, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
Awarded: $30,383

This project aims to develop assessment tools to characterize potential destabilizations in wellbeing related to inter-institutional transfers of gorillas and to evaluate this aspect of management on the species' welfare. The study will monitor the experiences of ten gorillas before and after transfers between AZA-accredited zoos using a mixed qualitative-behavioral assessment, cardiovascular data from implantable loop recorders, and analysis of stress biomarkers from fecal, urine and blood samples. Findings will help validate welfare indicators during significant life events and provide insight into how transfers impact gorilla welfare.

AZA extends a special thank you to the Walt Disney World Company, which has provided significant financial support to this program, as well as the many other generous donors to the AZA Animal Care and Wellbeing Grants Fund.

For more information about the Animal Care and Wellbeing Grants Fund or to assist in supporting future projects, please visit: https://www.aza.org/animal-care-and-wellbeing-grants-fund.

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About AZA
Founded in 1924, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, animal welfare, education, science, and recreation. AZA is setting the global gold standard, accrediting 254 of the top zoos, aquariums, and related facilities in 13 countries. Look for the AZA accreditation logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things. The AZA is a leader in saving species and your link to helping animals all over the world. To learn more, visit www.aza.org.