We searched a selection of the scientific literature to document evidence for, and explorations into reptile sentience. The intention of this review was to highlight; (1) to what extent reptile capability for emotions have been documented in the scientific literature; (2) to discuss the implications this evidence has for the trade in reptiles; and (3) to outline what future research is needed to maximise their captive welfare needs. We used 168 keywords associated with sentience, to search through four journal databases and one open-access journal. We recorded studies that explored sentience in reptiles and those that recognised reptile sentience in their experiments. We found that reptiles were assumed to be capable of the following emotions and states; anxiety, distress, excitement, fear, frustration, pain, stress, and suffering, in 37 articles. We also found four articles that explored and found evidence for the capacity of reptiles to feel pleasure, emotion, and anxiety. These findings show that reptiles are considered to be capable of experiencing a range of emotions and states. This has implications for how reptiles are treated in captivity, as a better understanding could help to inform a range of different operational initiatives aimed at reducing negative animal welfare impacts, including improved husbandry and consumer behaviour change programmes.

Fish are traded, caught, farmed, and killed in their trillions every year around the world, yet their welfare is often neglected and their sentience regularly disregarded. In this review, we have sought to (1) catalogue the extent to which fish sentience has featured over the past 31 years in the scientific literature and (2) discuss the importance of fish sentience in relation to their commercial uses. We searched the journal database Science Direct using 42 keywords that describe traits or elements of sentience to find articles that were referring to or exploring fish sentience. Our review returned 470 results for fish sentience in 142 different species and subspecies of fish, and featured 19 different sentience keywords. The top four keywords were; ‘stress’ (psychological) (n = 216, 45.9% of total results), ‘anxiety’ (n = 144, 30.6%), ‘fear’ (n = 46, 9.7%), and ‘pain’ (n = 27, 5.7%). Our findings highlight an abundance of evidence for fish sentience in the published scientific literature. We conclude that legislation governing the treatment of fish and attitudes towards their welfare require scrutiny so that their welfare can be safeguarded across the globe.

The commercial wildlife trade involves billions of animals each year, consumed for various purposes, including food, fashion, entertainment, traditional medicine, and pets. The experiences of the animals involved vary widely, with negative welfare states being commonplace. To highlight the broad scope of animal welfare impacts across the commercial wildlife trade, we present ten case studies featuring a range of species traded globally for different purposes: (1) Ball pythons captured and farmed to serve as pets; (2) Zebrafish captive bred to serve as pets; (3) African Grey Parrots taken from the wild for the pet industry; (4) Sharks de-finned for traditional medicine; (5) Pangolins hunted for traditional medicine; (6) Crickets farmed for food and feed; (7) Frogs wild-caught for the frog-leg trade; (8) Crocodilians killed for their skins; (9) Lions farmed and killed for tourism; and (10) Elephants held captive for tourism. The case studies demonstrate that wild animals commercially traded can suffer from negative welfare states ranging from chronic stress and depression to frustration and extreme hunger. The individuals involved range from hundreds to billions, and their suffering can last a lifetime. Given the welfare issues identified and the growing recognition and scientific evidence for animal sentience, we propose reducing and redirecting consumer demand for these consumptive wildlife practices that negatively impact animals.

Kenya’s inland aquaculture sector is one of the most productive in Africa. Efforts are currently being made at the national level to expand and intensify the sector. Despite the drive to develop Kenyan inland aquaculture, the sector continues to encounter barriers to sustainability and economic profitability. Fish welfare is also highly neglected which has implications for fish health and overall sector productivity. This review documents the current state of inland aquaculture in Kenya, covering its considerable growth since 2009 to the current day and looking at both intensive and extensive forms of fish farming, paying special attention to the challenges faced in terms of animal welfare. Given that the inland aquaculture sector in Kenya has been earmarked for further rapid growth, with considerable economic and strategic support in place to foster this, some of the core issues of sustainability must be recognised and addressed. This review focuses on one of those, namely animal welfare.

Stunning of farmed fish prior to slaughter is increasingly recognized as a key animal welfare priority, yet uptake remains limited in the EU aquaculture sector. While the effects of different stunning methods on fish welfare are the subject of significant recent research, the effect on aquaculture businesses remains unclear. Therefore, this study assesses the economic feasibility of implementing electrical stunning for four species where it is not currently routine: carp, trout, seabass, and seabream. Using a granular cost model across 17 country–species–system combinations, and cost data from 2018 to 2020, the impact of introducing in-water and dry electrical stunning systems under various cost pass-through and sensitivity scenarios is evaluated. Results show that while stunning increases the production costs, under realistic assumptions, 16 out of 17 segments remain profitable, with the one unprofitable segment already being unprofitable under business-as-usual conditions. Three trout systems even experience cost savings due to reduced labor requirements. Sensitivity analyses confirm the robustness of these findings across plausible increases in operating costs and financing assumptions. Even under a 0% cost pass-through, 16 segments still remain profitable. These results provide timely, policy-relevant evidence to support species-specific welfare legislation, while identifying segments that may require targeted support for compliance.