Teaching animal welfare in schools builds empathy, critical thinking and humane values that benefit animals and broader society.
Animal welfare education shapes the adults who will make decisions affecting billions of animals. Children who develop empathy for animals and understand their capacity for suffering become more thoughtful consumers, more engaged voters on animal welfare legislation, and more humane farmers, veterinarians and pet owners. The evidence linking childhood animal cruelty to later violence suggests that building animal empathy has benefits beyond animal welfare itself. Schools face real challenges in providing animal welfare education: classroom pets often have poor welfare, farm visits may inadvertently normalize intensive practices, and teacher training in welfare science is inconsistent. High-quality animal welfare education requires accurate, age-appropriate content about animal sentience, welfare needs and how human choices affect animals.