Pain in Non-Human Animal to Humans

Whether or not nonhuman animals can experience pain happens to be a rather interesting topic in the realms of neurology, philosophy, medicine, as well as animal biology and behavioral ecology. However, it would be prudent to note that as Ferdowsian and Merskin indicate, unlike human suffering, the wide range of acute, recurrent, and chronic stressors and trauma on nonhuman animals is rarely evaluated (448). In this text, Ill concern myself with pain in birds. Special references will be made to poultry.

From the onset, it should be noted that most studies in this realm appear to be mostly focused on the evidence of pain in birds from a physiological and behavioral perspective. Parallels could, however, be drawn between pain in birds and pain in mammals. This is more so the case in relation to both having a sensory system that is well developed and has the capability to keep track of noxious stimuli. Indeed, according...

As Gentle observes, many chicken body parts have been shown to have nociceptors i.e. following the identification as well as physiological characterization of the said receptors (252). In essence, noxious stimulation is responded to by...…inability to perch, etc.), posture or demeanor changes, etc. (Malik and Valentine 14). Guarding behavior has also been observed, with Malik and Valentine pointing out that an injured bird is likely to guard the area of the body in pain (14).

In the end, it should be noted that research into pain in non-human animal could be deemed relevant on a number of fronts. For instance, as Prunier et al. indicate, the productive potential of poultry could be negatively impacted by pain (998). More specifically, in the words of the authors, when pronounced and/or long lasting, the pain-induced behavioral and physiological changes can decrease production performance (Prunier et al. 998). There is also the moral implication of this particular area of…