Animal sentience science has advanced dramatically in recent years. Understanding what the evidence shows and how it translates to policy is essential for welfare advocates.
Sentience science informs the moral circle - which animals deserve welfare consideration. The evidence for vertebrate sentience is overwhelming; crustacean and cephalopod evidence is now considered sufficient for precautionary protection. Insect sentience evidence is growing, with bees demonstrating optimism bias, pain avoidance, and emotional states. Policy is catching up with science, but slowly - advocates can accelerate this by engaging with the evidence base directly.