A fair while ago, eminent consciousnesses scientists met at a symposium in England, their purpose was to conclude whether, given our current knowledge on how the brain processes consciousness, non-human animals could be considered conscious. Their conclusion? Animals, particularly mammals, but also birds and possibly other animals, demonstrate neurological potential for consciousness and thus must be considered conscious. Although some scientists, trainers and keepers concluded such long ago, a scientific agreement on this fact allows the discussion on animal welfare to continue, and hopefully move forward, without the limitation of discussion over sentience and consciousness as scientific understanding states that both are possible and observable.
Here is the exact agreement reach at the meeting:
If you want to get a bit more geeky over consciousness and the brain, here is an excellent talk by Christof Koch of Caltech.
Emma Lethbridge Horsemanship 