The Five Domains model has superseded the Five Freedoms as the leading framework for comprehensive animal welfare assessment, incorporating mental state as a central component.
The Five Domains model represents a conceptual advance in animal welfare assessment because it explicitly recognizes that animals have subjective experiences that matter morally. Moving beyond the absence of suffering to ask whether animals experience positive states - curiosity, pleasure, comfort, positive social engagement - provides a richer welfare framework. This matters practically: an animal can be free of all Five Freedoms violations but still have a poor life if they experience chronic boredom or frustration.