ARE ANIMALS CONSCIOUSS? IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE TO KNOW?
"First, there is strong scientific support for attributions of conscious experience to other mammals and to birds. Second, the empirical evidence indicates at least a realistic possibility of conscious experience in all vertebrates (including reptiles, amphibians, and fishes) and many invertebrates (including, at minimum, cephalopod mollusks, decapod crustaceans, and insects). Third, when there is a realistic possibility of conscious experience in an animal, it is irresponsible to ignore that possibility in decisions affecting that animal. We should consider welfare risks and use the evidence to inform our responses to these risks."
"It would be inappropriate to talk about “proof,” “certainty,” or “conclusive evidence” in the search for animal consciousness, because the nature of consciousness is still hotly contested. However, it is entirely appropriate to interpret these remarkable displays of learning, memory, planning, problem-solving, self-awareness, and other such capacities as evidence of consciousness in cases where the same behavior, if found in a human or other mammal, would be well explained by conscious processing.""
From "Background to the New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness.Andrews, K., Birch, J., Sebo, J., and Sims, T. (2024)"
https://sites.google.com/nyu.edu/nydeclaration/declaration?authuser=0&fbclid=IwY2xjawIQUnpleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHS4SkbJ-POyA5O2VjIPBcWld0ubcubIm3vNbr5OqT0ubSCmKPV062G_YlA_aem_PaUYPjf7n-20sQb-MZ8jGQ 
