Animal sentience and animal welfare: What is it to them and what is it to us?
Publication Type: |
Journal Article |
Year of Publication: |
2006 |
Authors: |
J. Webster |
Publication/Journal: |
Applied Animal Behaviour Science |
Keywords: |
animal sentience, animal welfare, behaviour, cognition, nature of animals, scientific approaches, social behaviour, understanding |
ISBN: |
01681591 |
Abstract:
The title clearly identified the two main questions addressed by this conference. The first key question is “What is the nature of animal sentience” and science was clearly identified as the proper approach to this question. The second key aim of this conference was therefore to address the philosophical case for why we should behave towards animals in the light of our understanding of the nature of sentience, and the framework of law and global policy within which we can work to achieve practical improvements in the welfare of those animals whom we exploit for our own ends. The papers in this special issue may be categorized, under four sections. Section 1 addresses the nature of sentience. Section 2 reviews scientific approaches to the study of the motivational basis of animal behavior, the physiology that triggers the onset of sentience in fetal and newborn animals and the educational benefits of social behavior. Section 3 presents convincing evidence to illustrate that advanced features of cognition and affect are not unique to humans but widely shared within the animal kingdom. Section 4 consists of two comprehensive reviews and two short communications that consider how our scientific understanding of animal sentience may be incorporated into the practice of good animal husbandry.