The positive welfare paradigm moves beyond minimising suffering to ask what animals need to thrive, incorporating positive experiences, natural behaviour, and good mental states into welfare assessment.
Positive welfare science challenges the traditional framing of animal welfare as simply avoiding suffering. Animals have preferences, engage in play, seek novelty, and demonstrate what appear to be positive emotional states when given the opportunity. Good welfare means providing conditions for thriving - not just the absence of pain, hunger, or fear. For farm animals, this means enriched environments with complexity and choice. For zoo animals, it means naturalistic exhibits with cognitive challenge. For companion animals, it means understanding and meeting species-specific needs for engagement and social interaction. The positive welfare paradigm raises the bar for what we consider acceptable care.