Prof Georgia Mason, an animal behavioural biologist and director of U of G’s Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare (CCSAW), spoke to CBC Radio’s Ontario Morning for an interview on animal sentience.

The interview was prompted by a Toronto Star report on an animal rights activist who was killed while advocating for the welfare of pigs. Mason noted that for animal welfare activists, the notion that animals are sentient — that they feel pain — is the philosophical bedrock on which they stand.

In the radio interview, Mason was asked to explain animal sentience as well as give an overview of the latest research. She explained that there is research to show that animals can learn skills, can count, and express fear and anger.

Mason studies many aspects of animal welfare, including how animals adapt to captive housing conditions and how companion animals interact with humans.