Animal Boredom

Animal boredom is an unpleasant state experienced by animals in monotonous environments, which can pose a serious threat to animal welfare. It is common parlance to say of animals that they are bored. Alex the grey parrot, according to an often-cited example, gave nonsensical solutions to puzzles if these puzzles were monotonous or if the order of puzzles reverted to simpler, less challenging tasks – it seems that he was bored (Burn 2017). It has however been controversial whether animals can be bored, and the science of animal boredom is still in its fledgling stage. Animal boredom should however be taken seriously as a harm imposed on animals. This article explores notions of boredom in philosophy and social science, discusses empirical approaches to animal boredom in ethology, and identifies ethical issues surrounding the topic.