The Sentience of Animals

"Evidence is growing that animals have far more cognitive abilities than has traditionally been believed - they are sentient creatures."- http://www.animalsentience.com/


Centuries ago, the philosopher Rene Descartes argued that all nonhuman animals are automatons that cannot feel pain. He and his followers believed that animals, therefore, could be experimented on without anaesthesia.

Modern science tells us differently. Scientists have found that humans and nonhumans share a similar nervous systems and other organs, and that there is every reason to think that humans share a similar mental and emotional life with other animal species. In the words of Peter Singer, "in suffering, the animals are our equals."

I believe the fundamental principle of the animal rights movement, "nonhuman animals deserve to live according to their own natures, free from harm, abuse, and exploitation." This is why I live a vegan lifestyle.

For more on Animal Rights issues, please go to www.animal-rights.com/arpage.htm .




HONEYBEES NEVER FORGET A FACE

This information was found at http://www.animalsentience.com/

Honeybees can recognize the difference between human faces. Can you tell the difference between honeybees?

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have shown that honeybees have the ability to recognize human faces.

Adrian Dyer and his colleagues trained honeybees to associate a sucrose drink with a photograph of a particular face. The insects were then presented with a picture of this face and three others not associated with the drink.

Of the seven bees tested, five were able to identify the target face in more than 80 per cent of trials, even though the reward had been removed. Some bees had formed a long-term memory and were able to remember the face two days later. How’s that for a creature with a brain no larger than a pinhead?

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"Humans--who enslave, castrate, experiment on, and fillet other animals--have had an understandable penchant for pretending animals do not feel pain. A sharp distinction between humans and "animals" is essential if we are to bend them to our will, make them work for us, wear them, eat them--without any disquieting tinges of guilt or regret. It is unseemly of us, who often behave so unfeeling toward other animals, to contend that only humans can suffer. The behavior of other animals renders such pretensions specious. They are just too much like us."-
Dr. Carl Sagan & Dr. Ann Druyan, SHADOWS OF FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS, 1992"

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