The New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness

Which animals have the capacity for conscious experience? While much uncertainty remains, some points of wide agreement have emerged.

First, there is strong scientific support for attributions of conscious experience 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 fishes) and many invertebrates (including, at minimum, cephalopod mollusks, decapod crustaceans, and insects).

Third, when there is a realistic possibility of conscious experience in an animal, it is irresponsible to ignore that possibility in decisions affecting that animal. We should consider welfare risks and use the evidence to inform our responses to these risks.

https://sites.google.com/nyu.edu/nydeclaration/declaration

Article:

https://www.quantamagazine.org/insects-and-other-animals-have-consciousness-experts-declare-20240419/

Green Porno, with the incomparable Isabella Rossellini:

https://www.criterionchannel.com/green-porno-1

(Probably also on YouTube somewhere)

Human

If the church starts baptism for dead pets, who will dunk the cats?

Anyone, as long as he or she (yeah, right!) isn't a hemophiliac...

Recent studies on animal laugher are interesting. The ultrasonic frequencies of rat vocalization when shifted down to human speech range show that rats really do laugh when you tickle them.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=d-84UJpYFRM

Some music to soothe your nerves:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fyZoB2h2J-s

Haha! My parents bought me that 45 when I was six(?) years old.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/26/2024 07:22AM by Beth.

This afternoon one of my ducks raised the alarm. I looked out my window while I was putting on <strike>pants</strike> shoes, and the biggest raven plopped in my yard.

The ducks formed a “V” and charged it. Impressive.

My lab mix protects the ducks during the daytime, but she’s doped up on benadryl until we get biopsy results from what looks like a mast-cell tumor.

Anyway, the dudes are still around. They escaped their bachelors’ quarters. Still hoping to rehome them. The ladies are a bit harried but also well.

It’s possible I’ll be delivering one to Spokane. I enjoy Spokane.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/26/2024 07:07AM by Beth.

How scary. Go ducks!

I do hope your lab mix will be OK. Hoping for the best.

Thanks, dagny. Yeah. She’s such a good girl. Her name is Joy because she runs around with abandon. She swims with abandon. And of course she eats with abandon. :/

I'm convinced by yet another piece of off topic political posturing.

Do you like duck? If so, Beth has nice deal for you.

Animal consciousness is kind of on topic since Judeo Christian religions justify human exploitation of nature in their scriptures. That is kind of getting us in trouble.

Having a closed canon was a bad choice on the church's part. You don't see any prophets proscribing illegal dumping of toxic waste, for example.