Member spotlight! Michelle Campbell-Ward!

This month we spotlight the work of our member Michelle Campbell-Ward, who has just had a new book chapter come out! Congratulations Michelle!

Congratulations on your new publication, can you give us some more background on that?

Claire Ford and I recently collaborated to write the first book chapter on the topic of ‘Welfare of Australian Mammals in Human Care’ – published last month in the textbook Australian Mammals: Biology and Captive Management, 2^nd edition (edited by Stephen Jackson). It was a mammoth project, spanning many years and it has highlighted that although we have come a long way, there is still much work to do.

Name: Michelle Campbell-Ward

Institution: The University of Sydney (since July 2023)

Michelle Campbell-Ward, residency at The Ethics Centre 2024

Year and type of graduate student program(s)/additional training:

1995 Bachelor of Science (University of Sydney, Australia)

2000 Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Hons I) (University of Sydney, Australia)

2004-2007 Residency in Rabbit and Exotic Medicine (University of Edinburgh, UK)

2005 Certificate in Zoological Medicine (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, UK)

2007 Diploma in Zoological Medicine (Mammalian) (Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, UK)

2014 Member of ANZCVS by examination in Medicine of Zoo Animals (Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists)

2019 Postgraduate Certificate in International Animal Welfare, Ethics and Law (University of Edinburgh)

2024 enrolled as a PhD candidate  - University of Sydney (topic: free-ranging wildlife health interventions in Australia: ethics, animal welfare and decision-making)

What is it that attracted you to work on wildlife originally?

During my first degree (Bachelor of Science), I was lucky enough to study zoology under the guidance of some amazing lecturers and also to participate as a volunteer on a number of wildlife-based field trips. My in-class and field experiences at that time were truly formative. I was captivated by the diversity of the animal kingdom and the range of wacky physiological adaptations that allowed different species to thrive in assorted habitats and niches as well as the complex interconnections between all forms of life. My ambition, since I was a very young child, had always been to be a veterinarian and while that still held, those early university days really cemented the concept in my mind that I could eventually combine being a veterinarian and work with wildlife.  

What has attracted you to wildlife welfare?

In a wildlife career that has spanned work in small and large zoo clinical practice, wildlife rehabilitation medicine and government regulation, I have been involved in many situations where decisions have been made for and on behalf of animals that are not necessarily in their best interests. Or conversely, where innovative caregiving and management techniques or new protocols have improved outcomes for animals. Until recently, there has not been a robust scientific framework through which to explore this. How wild animals experience the world around them remains largely a mystery but is one that I think we need to try to better understand as human and wild lives become increasingly intertwined. 

Michelle Campbell-Ward and koala patient at the Taronga Western Plains Wildlife Hospital. Photo credit: Taronga Western Plains Zoo.

How can WDA-A members work to improve wildlife welfare overall?

• Lead by example, by ensuring that animal welfare is considered alongside all the competing priorities in their work and advocate for improvements, when gaps are identified.

• Become familiar with different welfare frameworks and have a go at applying them to wild animals in different situations. Share your findings at conferences or in publications.

• Support or participate in welfare-focused research -  reach out if you think there is something we could collaborate on.

• Contribute knowledge and data to the developments of welfare-based charters, codes of practice, guidelines, protocols etc. 

What are some key reflections for you about your work in the wildlife health field in Australasia?

We have an incredibly collegial group of professionals across the country working hard to understand and improve so many different aspects of wildlife health. The generous sharing of knowledge and ideas and the respectful open discourse amongst these colleagues are things that we should treasure. 

The systems we work with and within are complex and evolving. One thing I see many people struggling with is decision-making. How do we make good decisions in the face of so much uncertainty? How can we balance or prioritise all the values at play, especially when they conflict? How do we proactively harness the passion of those who care and positively influence those who do not? These are important questions and I am excited to now be working at the interface of animal and environmental ethics to help us find a path forward that aims to bring some ease and confidence to situations that can feel overwhelmingly messy at times.

Michelle and koala patient at the University of Sydney Wildlife Health and Conservation Hospital

How has being involved in the WDA-A section helped you during your career and what advice might you have for prospective students?

WDA-A has been a crucial part of my career journey. As a student I had the opportunity to meet many inspiring pioneers in the field, to give my first ever conference presentation, and to make friends that remain dear to me to this day. When I moved to the UK in the 2000s, the WDA-A kept me tethered to my Australian roots and gave me an excuse to come home for the odd visit. More recently, and now back in the region, WDA-A has provided a platform for me to bring some of the science of animal welfare and the challenging realm of ethics to our region’s wildlife health problems. The openness and kind-spirited nature of the community is a welcoming environment for new ideas that I think are necessary to shape our future.

To the students of today, I say, do not hesitate – even for one second - to get involved! Sign up to attend a meeting – even if you do not know a soul. Even if you are just curious and have not yet decided on where you want to go professionally. I promise by the end of the first day, you will have made connections with the most unexpected of people, some of whom may well change your life, or at least the way you think about life.

What is your favourite non-scientific activity and how do you find time for it?

Hiking (although I am not sure if it counts as entirely non-scientific!). I prioritise getting out into nature every day, even if just for half an hour. It is essential to my well-being.

I also enjoy creative writing – but that is a pastime I am less strict about doing super regularly – I do occasionally sign up for workshops or enter competitions to challenge myself to create characters, plots and stories (many with a wildlife theme, obviously!). 

Michelle Campbell-Ward, python examination at the University of Sydney Wildlife Health and Conservation Hospital

It is easy to get bogged down when considering the future for wildlife, what helps you stay motivated and positive in this field?

Spending time in the wilderness keeps me motivated. Sometimes I look at an old gnarly eucalypt and I think about what it has endured and witnessed in its time and yet it continues to flourish. Or I see a nest or a burrow that has been built by an animal against enormous odds, for example, in an environment that is under enormous anthropogenic pressure. If the wild things can tough it out, the instinctive primate in us can too. 

Anything else you want to highlight/talk about?

I would just like to give everyone out there doing their bit for wildlife a big thank you. The challenges we face (locally, globally, personally, professionally) can seem immense at times but with everybody contributing what they can, when they can and committing to work collaboratively, we can achieve great things.

Favourite WDA-A memory?

It is a recent one. It was such a treasure to be part of the WDA-A community that welcomed our WDA colleagues from around world to Canberra in 2024 for the international conference and hearing all of their engaging, inspiring and emotive stories of working at the human-wildlife interface.