Dr Jacqui Wilmshurst
Research Student
School of Health, Wellbeing & Social Care
Biography
Professional biography
What does caring for rescued grey squirrels and birds from the corvid (crow) family in a UK wildlife sanctuary reveal about our relationships with wild animals in this culture?
What do I learn from these caring relationships that the study of species and ecosystems from 'the outside' does not reveal?
What ethical questions are raised by caring for permanently captive wild-born wild animals, and how can I contribute to addressing them?
How can this influence improved collective wellbeing in multispecies communities?
Using multispecies autoethnography, my research explores interrelated personal and cultural histories in urban Britain as they apply to care for wild animals, and to how meaning is made and stories are told about our relationships with and within 'nature'.
In particular, I look at themes of mothering across species boundaries, disability, embodied care, community care, and kinship with our wild animal neighbours.
As an autoethnographer I bring a range of roles and identities to the stories, and the meaning-making, including licenced wildlife sanctuary owner, environmental and conservation psychologist, health & wellbeing consultant, and urban dweller.
I have a previous academic background in the health and environmental psychology, exploring human-environment relationships as applied to natural hazards and climate change, cultural framings of risk, and nature-relating in 'at-risk' communities. Other 'ways of knowing' were embraced alongside conventional scientific and academic enquiry.
In addition to my work as an academic, I was previously an officer in the British Army (retired as Captain) and a leader in mental health and wellbeing in large complex organisations including the BBC, Meta and TikTok. I am a Chartered Member and Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Socety, in the Division of Academics, Researchers and Teachers in Psychology.
I run a small sanctuary, Nala's Nook, specialising in the care of permanently captive grey squirrels and corvids, from my home in East Yorkshire.
www.jacquiwilmshurst.com
Research interests
Human-Wildlife Relationships
Nature Connectedness
Narrative Inquiry
Anthrozoology
Multispecies Methodology
Multispecies Care Ethics
Animal Ethics
Animal Welfare
Wellbeing and Resilience
Teaching interests
Nature Connectedness and Nature-Relating
Nature-Stories
Animal Ethics
Environmental & Conservation Psychology
Health & Wellbeing
Urban Wildbeing
