Animal welfare science provides the empirical foundation for improving animal lives across all contexts - from farms to wildlife - with methods that objectively measure suffering and wellbeing.
Animal welfare science provides the most powerful tool available for systematically improving the lives of animals. By moving beyond anthropomorphic assumption to empirical measurement, welfare scientists have documented suffering in unexpected places - the pessimistic cognitive bias of lame broiler chickens, the grief-like behaviors of elephants at loss sites, the intense motivation of hens to nest before laying. Each measurement creates the evidence base for policy change. The shift from asking 'does this animal appear to suffer?' to 'what does our measurement tell us about its affective state?' has been transformative. The work of welfare scientists across every animal category - companion animals, farmed animals, zoo animals, wildlife - provides the foundation upon which all meaningful welfare improvement rests.