Ethics and Care: For Animals, Not Just Mammals

Area of Science:

• Animal Ethics
• Conservation Biology
• Animal Welfare Science

Background:

• Significant advancements in animal ethics and care have primarily benefited mammals.
• Public attention and research efforts exhibit a bias towards 'popular' animals, largely mammals.
• This bias leads to uneven conservation priorities and welfare concerns for non-mammalian species.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the current bias in animal welfare and conservation efforts, which predominantly focus on mammals.
• To underscore the need for expanding ethical considerations and welfare concerns to a wider range of animal species.
• To advocate for increased public education regarding non-mammalian animals.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of research and public attention biases in animal welfare.
• Review of conservation and welfare targets across different animal taxa.
• Assessment of the impact of public perception on animal ethics.

Main Results:

• Current animal welfare initiatives and ethical considerations are concentrated on a very small percentage (0.2%) of global animal species, mainly mammals.
• Public perception, influenced by media and popular culture, contributes significantly to this attention bias.
• There is a notable omission of welfare considerations for invertebrates and a less focused concern for fish.

Conclusions:

• The current focus on mammals in animal ethics and welfare is insufficient and creates significant gaps in conservation and care.
• Broader public education, especially for children, is essential to shift attention towards non-mammalian species.
• Expanding ethical frameworks and conservation efforts to include all animal species is necessary for comprehensive planetary stewardship.