Wild animals experience enormous quantities of suffering from disease, predation, starvation, and parasitism, raising questions about human moral responsibility for their welfare.
The scale of wild animal suffering is vast. r-selected species like insects and fish reproduce in enormous numbers, with the vast majority dying young from predation, starvation, and disease. Even large mammals experience significant parasitism, injury, and slow deaths from predator attack. The philosophical question of whether and how humans should intervene to reduce wild animal suffering is actively debated, with some arguing for a precautionary welfare approach and others for non-interference.