Growing recognition of invertebrate sentience is driving improvements in zoo husbandry for octopuses, crustaceans, and insects housed in educational collections.
Invertebrate welfare was long dismissed as irrelevant, but accumulating evidence supports that many invertebrates - particularly cephalopods and crustaceans - have the neurological capacity for pain and suffering. Zoo husbandry is adapting: octopuses now receive regular novel enrichment, and some crustacean exhibits provide hiding opportunities and appropriate substrates. This is an evolving field where zoo practices are outpacing regulatory frameworks.