Scientists launch New York Declaration saying animals, including insects, can be ‘sentient’

Over the past decade, the field of animal cognition and behavior has made remarkable progress, with a series of surprising discoveries that have challenged our understanding of the inner lives of other species.

From crows that can report on their visual perceptions to octopuses that show a preference for pain relief, these findings suggest that a wide range of animals, including many invertebrates, may have richer subjective experiences than previously thought.

A group of prominent experts, including world leaders in the study of human consciousness, have signed the New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness. This paper aims to crystallize the message from the past decade’s research and encourage the scientific community to take seriously the possibility that a wide range of animals, from vertebrates to invertebrates, can have subjective experiences.

Some of the most notable evidence includes:

• Crows can report on their visual observations, and the activity of a brain region associated with high-level cognition appears to correlate with their visual experience.
• Octopuses avoid pain and value pain relief, indicating that they can experience suffering.
• Cuttlefish can remember specific details of past events, including how they experienced them.
• Pudding fish and garter snakes seem to be able to recognize themselves.
• Zebrafish show signs of curiosity and bees appear to exhibit play behavior.
• Crayfish and crabs exhibit anxiety-like states, which can be modulated by antianxiety drugs.

These advances do not convincingly prove the existence of consciousness in these animals, but they do provide a solid scientific basis for attributing subjective experiences to at least vertebrates and many invertebrates.

The signatories of the New York Declaration urge scientists, universities and governments to further support research in this exciting and rapidly developing field, and to seriously consider the risks to animal welfare, even as assurance about awareness remains elusive.

The statement states:

Which animals have the capacity for conscious experience? While much uncertainty remains, some points of broad agreement have emerged.
First, there is strong scientific support for attributing conscious experiences to other mammals and to birds. Second, the empirical evidence indicates at least a realistic possibility of conscious experience in all vertebrates (including reptiles, amphibians, and fish) and many invertebrates (including at least cephalopod molluscs, decapod crustaceans, and insects). Third, if there is a realistic possibility of conscious experience in an animal, it is irresponsible to ignore that possibility in decisions affecting that animal. We need to consider welfare risks and use the evidence to inform our responses to these risks.

They also invite everyone relevant knowledge (e.g. postgraduate or equivalent training in science, philosophy or policy) who wish to sign the declaration, please contact the email address provided on the official website.

Sources

The New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness | Andrews, K., Birch, J., Sebo, J., and Sims, T. (2024) Background to the New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness