Picture a lab rat imprisoned for life in a cage the size of a shoe box. Or a fox racing to escape from a pack of hounds in full cry. Are these animals suffering? To our eyes, it may seem obvious that they are having a pretty rough time. But two British zoologists claim it is not that simple. To discover whether an animal is likely to be suffering, they say, you need to ask if evolution has designed it to deal with such conditions. If it has, then the risk of suffering may not be nearly as great as we might imagine. And if there is suffering, at least where farms and labs are concerned, it may be possible to alter the animal's living conditions accordingly.
展开▼
