Modern animal welfare science increasingly focuses on positive experiences — not just absence of suffering — as a complete measure of animal wellbeing.
For decades, animal welfare was largely defined as freedom from negative states: hunger, fear, pain, and disease. While these remain essential, welfare science now recognizes that good welfare also requires opportunities for positive experiences. Animals are not merely surviving — they can thrive. Measuring flourishing requires validated positive welfare indicators appropriate to each species, incorporated into audits, legislation, and farm management practices alongside traditional negative welfare metrics.