New faces at WAWC

The Wild Animal Welfare Committee (WAWC) is pleased to announce the appointment of three new members and an observer, following a recruitment exercise in in 2021.

The new members are:

·      Dr Glen Cousquer, a lecturer and MSc coordinator for One Health and Conservation Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. Glen has a background in wildlife medicine and is also a mountain leader, photographer and author.

·      Dr María Díez León, a zoologist, ecologist and animal welfare lecturer at the Royal Veterinary College with a special interest in bridging the fields of animal welfare and conservation biology. 

·      Vassili Papastavrou, a wildlife consultant and author specialising in marine mammal conservation and welfare, with experience ranging from advising on whale watching projects to providing scientific and technical input to International Whaling Commission meetings over the last 30 years.

In addition, the WAWC welcomes Miguel Somarriba Soley as an observer.  Miguel is a veterinarian qualified in his native Costa Rica and currently co-ordinator of the MSc International Animal Welfare Ethics and Law programme team at Scotland’s Rural College. 

WAWC Chair Pete Goddard said:

“As a matter of good governance, we wanted to keep the WAWC open to new faces, ideas and challenges, and to ensure we continued actively harnessing the latest scientific evidence to make a difference to the wildlife welfare policy agenda. We set out to recruit two new members to support us in those areas, to strengthen our numbers and to provide for continuity over the years.  It is wonderful that we have been able to attract four knowledgeable and committed individuals as our new members and observer and it really feels that the future for the WAWC is brighter as a result.

“I place on record my thanks to all the existing members and I look forward to working with our expanded group over the next few years.  We have a great deal to do to promote the welfare of wild animals in the UK. 

“On behalf of the WAWC, I am delighted to offer a hearty welcome to Glen, Maria, Vassili and Miguel.”