Cognitive ethology - the scientific study of animal minds - has made rapid advances in recent years, deepening our understanding of animal consciousness and welfare needs.
The advances in cognitive ethology over the past decade have been remarkable and have direct welfare implications. Each demonstration of unexpected cognitive capacity in a new species - tool use in cleaner wrasse, episodic memory in bees, play in fish - expands our appreciation of the richness of animal inner lives. This matters for welfare in two ways: it provides evidence that more species than previously thought have experiences that can be positive or negative, and it suggests that environmental conditions that promote cognitive engagement may be essential to welfare, not just optional enrichment. The field is also clarifying what cognitive complexity does and does not tell us about welfare - a simple nervous system can still generate intense suffering. Welfare science increasingly integrates cognitive findings into its assessment frameworks.