9th International Conference on Wildlife Fertility Wildlife Fertility Control
May 23-25, 2022
A Conference for All Seasons!
The 9th International Conference on Wildlife Fertility Control (ICWFC), hosted by The Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control (BIWFC), drew more than 120 people to the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs, CO from May 23 – 25. Upon arrival conference attendees were surprisingly greeted with nearly 12 inches of snow from the remnants of a late winter storm. By the time the conference ended, however, the sky was sunny and temperatures in the high 70’s.
The conference attracted attendees from North America (U.S. – 24 states, Washington, D.C. and the Navajo Nation, Canada, and the Caribbean – St. Kitts), Europe (Belgium, Italy, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom), South Africa, Asia (India and Japan) and Australia. They were comprised of wildlife professionals and managers, university faculty and students, tech company founders, research scholars and leaders, biologists, veterinarians, non-profit staff and board members, and government officials. For the majority of attendees, this was their first wildlife fertility control conference.
Nearly 40 speakers discussed the role of fertility control in mitigating human wildlife conflicts as well as the development of wildlife fertility control methods in sessions titled:
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- Planning a Project on Wildlife Fertility Control
- What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
- Human Dimension;
- Recent Research in Contraceptive Methods
- Advancement in Practical Application;
- Advancement in Identification and Delivery Methods
- Scenario Deliberations to Engage Stakeholders
- Human-Wildlife Interface: The Indian Scenario
- Modelling, Monitoring, and Data Management
- Welfare Implications of Fertility Control
- Regulatory, Legal and Political Challenges
- Social-Economic Aspects of Fertility Control Methods
- The Future of Fertility Control
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The theme of the conference, “Creating Connections,” was intended to lay the foundation for more effective and pervasive collaboration among all wildlife practitioners, including biologists, social scientists, wildlife managers, government agencies, NGOs, policymakers, legislators, and others.
The conference featured two special guests. The Honorable Jared Polis, Governor of Colorado, spoke about the need for compassionate, humane methods in managing wild horse populations.
Best-selling Author Mary Roach, who has been called “America’s funniest science writer,” by the Washington Post, held an entertaining and engaging virtual Q & A session with the audience about her experiences researching and writing “Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law.”
In addition, BIWFC presented the Trailblazer Award to Cheryl Asa, BIWFC Advisory Board and Conference Committee member, for the profound impact that she has had on the field of wildlife fertility control during her career of over thirty years.
The closing session engaged participants in developing a list of priorities and approaches for educating and engaging diverse stakeholders world-wide in the advancement of a scientific field that is both species-specific and dependent upon place-based strategies.
Supporting the conference were 17 sponsors and exhibitors including USDA APHIS Wildlife Services, Bureau of Land Management, Humane Society of the United States / Humane Society International, and American Wild Horse Campaign. Click here to see all our supporters.
The 9th International Conference on Wildlife Fertility Control continued a tradition begun in November 1987 in Philadelphia. With the 2021 opening of a BIWFC Europe office, interest is keen for the next conference to be held there.
To see more conference photos Click here.