New Morris Animal Foundation–Funded Studies Will Help Species Worldwide— From Bats to Elephants to Sea Lions
As one of the only organizations in the world that supports health research for wildlife, Morris Animal Foundation helps more species in more places than that of any other organization in the world. The nonprofit organization recently approved funding for just over $1 million in wildlife research during its fiscal year 2014, beginning July 1. A complete list of the new wildlife projects can be found in the research section of the Foundation’s website.
Competition for this year’s funding was tough. Of the 194 requests received for wildlife health funding, 12 new grants, along with 13 continuing studies, were approved. Projects will address a wide variety of health issues, including reproductive issues in stingrays, the effects of water pollutants on frogs, the effectiveness of a plague vaccine in prairie dogs, and respiratory illnesses and disease transmission in endangered mountain gorillas.
Morris Animal Foundation also recently funded a Betty White Wildlife project through its Rapid Response Fund. This new study will investigate the recent die-off of more than 1,200 California sea lions, mostly pups, in southern California. Established in honor of long-time trustee Betty White, this special fund provides wildlife researchers with timely monetary aid to respond to unexpected events that result in an immediate need for animal health research.
“There’s nobody else out there that provides veterinary wildlife dollars to the extent that Morris Animal Foundation does,” says Dr. Mark Stetter, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Colorado State University and a former chair of Morris Animal Foundation’s Wildlife Scientific Advisory Board. “These aren’t million-dollar grants, but for wildlife folks a $20,000 grant is a huge help in understanding the problems facing wildlife.”
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