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.