International: The New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness

In a document called “The New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness” issued on 19 April 2024 during a meeting in New York City, a coalition of scientists is calling for a reassessment of the animal–human relationship. Namely, the researchers write in the document that there is “strong scientific support for attributions of conscious experience to other mammals and to birds”. If so, it “is irresponsible to ignore that possibility in decisions affecting that animal”. In addition, the declaration adds that there is also a “realistic possibility of conscious experience” in reptiles, fish, insects and other animals that have not yet been broadly considered to have inner lives. The definition of consciousness is complex; however, the group of researchers focuses on an aspect of consciousness called sentience, which is often defined as the capacity to have subjective experiences. For an animal, such experiences encompass sensing the environment through smell, taste, hearing, and touch, as well as experiencing emotions like fear, pleasure, or pain.