Advances in animal cognition research have revealed sophisticated mental lives in many species, with important implications for how we assess and address their welfare needs.
Animal cognition research has fundamentally transformed our understanding of what animals experience and therefore what their welfare requires. Species with more complex cognitive capacities can suffer in more complex ways — they can form anticipatory fears, hold social memories that make losses significant, and experience boredom in ways simpler animals cannot. This does not mean simpler animals do not suffer, but it means welfare frameworks must be calibrated to the cognitive capabilities of each species.