Sylvie cannot wait to get home and play with her puppy. The second she opens the door it comes running down the hall. What a happy animal!

Or is it? After all, it could be that the puppy is frustratedAnnoyed or upset, especially because you cannot change something. after being kept indoors. Sylvie might simply be thinking about it as if it is a human being.

The thinker Thomas Nagel says we can never tell what animals are feeling.

Others say we can, by watching them. It is easy to tell when an animal is scared, since it will freeze or run away from danger.

A group of scientists recently used AIA computer programme that has been designed to think.  to try to interpretExplain or decide on the meaning of something. the grunts of pigs. They claimedSaid something is true, often without clear evidence. that they could tell what the animals were feeling 92% of the time.

Measuring an animal's heartbeat is another way. As with humans, an increased heart rate shows it feels fear or stressFeelings of worry or pressure. .

Can we know what animals are feeling?

Yes! It is easy to tell when an animal is excited or scared. And now scientists are backing up what we can see using new technology such as AI.

No! We often want to think of animals as having feelings just like us. But we actually know very little about how their minds work.