Can We Assume Consciousness or Happiness in Other Animals?

Thinking Like a Chicken Podcast
News & Views!

UPC Sanctuary Photo by Karen Davis

Most people who share their home with one or more companion animals take it for granted that their companions have feelings including emotions of happiness and wellbeing. Although the behaviors they observe support their presumption, there are those in the scientific establishment who continue to disparage the belief that other animals have emotions or even consciousness, claiming it is “unscientific,” “sentimental,” and “anthropomorphic” to ascribe emotions to a Hen or a Hamster or a Horse. Tune in for more on today’s topic.

KAREN DAVIS, PhD is the President and Founder of United Poultry Concerns, a nonprofit organization that promotes the compassionate and respectful treatment of domestic fowl including a sanctuary for chickens in Virginia. Inducted into the National Animal Rights Hall of Fame for Outstanding Contributions to Animal Liberation, Karen is the author of numerous books, essays, articles and campaigns. Her latest book is For the Birds: From Exploitation to Liberation: Essays on Chickens, Turkeys, and Other Domesticated Fowl published by Lantern Publications & Media.

Karen with Rainbow the rooster.
Photo by Unparalleled Suffering Photography