#animal-sentience

#animal-sentience

You notice an ant struggling in a puddle of water. Their legs thrash as they fight to stay afloat. You could walk past, or you could take a moment to tip a leaf or a twig into the puddle, giving them a chance to climb out. The choice may feel trivial. And yet this small encounter, which resembles the 'drowning child' case from Peter Singer's essay 'Famine, Affluence, and Morality' (1972), raises big questions.

Cows are highly intelligent and deeply sentient and emotional beings with distinct individual personalities. 1 Each and every individual has a unique personality, and it's fair to say not a single cow enjoys being farmed for human meals. In his new science-based and beautifully illustrated book, Voices of the Herd: Portraits of Rescued Cows and Their Sanctuary Stories, Mark Peters shares deeply moving and personal photographs and stories of rescued cows-the fortunate few spared from lives of unimaginable suffering.

Killing healthy animals and feeding pets to zoo residents raises serious scientific and ethical questions, demonstrating that zoos often view animals as disposable or surplus objects.