Claudette McCarron

The 9th International Conference on Wildlife Fertility Control (ICWFC), hosted by the BIWFC, drew more than 120 people to the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs, CO from May 23 – 25, including professionals 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. ence on Wildlife Fertility Control, May 23 -25, 2022 at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This conference is a continuation of the international forum on the development of wildlife fertility control methods and the role that fertility control can play in mitigating human-wildlife conflicts.

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 various sessions, including human dimensions, recent research, practical applications, data management, legal & political challenges, welfare, and social-economic aspects.

The conference featured two special guests, The Honorable Jared Polis, Governor of Colorado, and Best-selling Author Mary Roach. In his talk Governor Polis addressed the need for compassionate, humane methods in managing wild horse populations. 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, a member of the BIWFC Advisory Board and Conference Committee, and Advisory Board Chair for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Reproductive Management Center. This award was presented to Cheryl for the profound impact that she has had on the field of wildlife fertility control during her career of over 30 years.

The closing session engaged participants in developing a list of priorities and approaches for educating and engaging diverse stakeholders worldwide in the advancement of a scientific field that is both species-specific and dependent upon location-based strategies.

To learn more, visit the BIWFC website.

The 9th International Conference on Wildlife Fertility Control hosted by the Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control (BIWFC) will take place from from May 23 – 25, 2022 at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

To learn more, visit the BIWFC website.

The Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control (BIWFC) is proud to announce that our film “An Overview of Wildlife Fertility Control” has won an Award of Recognition in the Impact Docs Awards competition. Impact awards are judged on the quality, creativity, and technical aspects of each piece. They believe documentary filmmakers are often on the leading edge of global changes by shifting perceptions, behavior and habits of the viewers.

To learn more, visit the BIWFC website.

The Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control’s (BIWFC’s) pre-conference workshop titled Planning a project on wildlife fertility control: what could possibly go wrong? Tips, ideas and warnings from the field will be hosted by Dr. Giovanna Massei, Dr. Jens Jacob, and Dr. Douglas Eckery on May 22, 2022, from 3:30 – 5:30pm. This course will cover key elements of designing and implementing a project aimed at using fertility control on various wildlife species and in different social and geographical contexts. Through a series of practical activities, participants will discuss real case scenarios and be exposed to the process of project planning. This will involve how to make better decisions based on the biology and behavior of a species but also on community support, legal requirements, logistical constraints, costs and public expectations, and how to monitor progress and evaluate results.

To learn more, visit the BIWFC website or read the BIWFC Newsletter.

9th International Conference on Wildlife Fertility Control
The BIWFC is pleased to announce Bestselling Author Mary Roach, will serve as a Guest Speaker for the 9th International Conference on Wildlife Fertility Control. Roach’s newest book, Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law, is a New York Times Bestseller, #1 Los Angeles Times Bestseller, #1 Indie Hardcover Nonfiction Bestseller and a New York Times Editor’s Choice. Fuzz takes the reader on an irresistible investigation into the unpredictable world where humans and wildlife meet. When it comes to “problem” wildlife, she finds, humans are more often the problem—and the solution. Fascinating, witty, and humane, Fuzz offers hope for compassionate coexistence in our ever-expanding human habitat.

To learn more, read the BIWFC Winter 2022 Newsletter or visit the BIWFC website.