Positive Wild Animal Welfare

Abstract

With increasing attention given to wild animal welfare and ethics, it has become common to depict animals in the wild as existing in a state dominated by suffering. This assumption is now taken on board by many and frames much of the current discussion; but needs a more critical assessment, both theoretically and empirically. In this paper, we challenge the primary lines of evidence employed in support of wild animal suffering, to provide an alternative picture in which wild animals may often have lives that are far more positive than is commonly assumed. Nevertheless, while it is useful to have an alternative model to challenge unexamined assumptions, our real emphasis in this paper is the need for the development of effective methods for applying animal welfare science in the wild, including new means of data collection, the ability to determine the extent and scope of welfare challenges and opportunities, and their effects on welfare. Until such methods are developed, discussions of wild animal welfare cannot go beyond trading of intuitions, which as we show here can just as easily go in either direction.

Sixty Years of Tinbergen’s Four Questions and Their Continued Relevance to Applied Behaviour and Welfare Research in Zoo Animals: A Commentary

“…Historically, the notion of wild animal welfare was given little thought amongst conservationists and animal welfarists [23]. However, a now acknowledged impact of distress (on conservation outcomes) is driving interventions to improve the welfare status of wild animals [24]. Applied behavioural data can be used to non-invasively quantify and assess animal welfare [25,26], but there is contention around all aspects of behaviour's scientific application to welfare [27].…”

Measuring attitudes towards wild animal welfare: The Wild Animal Welfare Scale

“…Predation is, naturally, not just a threat for newborns but also affects many adult members of prey species. The large number of hardships have even led some to conclude that most wild animals contain more suffering than happiness (Horta, 2015;Ng, 1995;Tomasik, 2009; but see Browning & Veit, 2023;Groff & Ng, 2019).…”

The Easiest Becomes the Rule: Beliefs, Knowledge and Attitudes of Equine Practitioners and Enthusiasts Regarding Horse Welfare

“…The welfare state can be assessed based on physiological and behavioral measures [2], the resources available, and the quality of handling and management [7,12]. Animal welfare varies from very good to very poor [1] depending on the balance between the occurrence of positive and negative experiences [13], which is called net welfare [14,15]. But it is essential to consider that good welfare cannot always counterbalance poor welfare, as some negative experiences can be more impactful than positive ones [14].…”