Why wild animal suffering matters

Abstract

Wild animal suffering is a significant ethical concern due to the vast numbers of animals in nature and their high mortality rates, especially among the young. Most wild animals die shortly after birth, experiencing little positive and much negative experience, including starvation, dehydration, predation, and disease. This suffering is largely a consequence of prevalent reproductive strategies driven by natural selection. Because resources are limited, many offspring are produced with the expectation that only a few will survive. This strategy maximizes reproductive success but also leads to widespread suffering and premature death. Therefore, if sentience is considered morally relevant, the considerable suffering in the wild deserves serious attention. – AI-generated abstract.