# Feeder Insects: The Ethics of Live Feeding in Zoos and Aquariums

## TL;DR

This paper explores the ethical responsibilities of zoos and aquariums regarding feeder insects, considering their possible sentience and welfare.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a focused ethical analysis of feeder insects and applies the 3Rs framework to this under-discussed topic.

## Key findings

- Zoos and aquariums should consider the welfare of feeder insects due to uncertainty about their sentience.
- The 3Rs framework offers a practical approach for improving ethical practices related to feeder insects.

## Abstract

While there is no consensus about whether insects are sentient, the possibility alone raises an important question for zoos and aquariums. What ethical responsibilities, if any, do zoos and aquariums have concerning their feeder insects? There has been very little scholarly discussion of these questions. This is not surprising, as scholars have largely ignored feeder animals. So, this paper takes up two tasks. First, it surveys the main welfare‐focused ethical questions associated with feeder animals generally and feeder insects in particular. The aim here is to identify the main considerations that bear on a full assessment of the ethics of using feeder animals as a resource, thereby facilitating future research. Second, in the interest of making practical recommendations in the face of significant moral complexity and uncertainty, this paper adopts a standard institutional ethical framework—the 3Rs—and considers its implications for the use of feeder insects.

Since there is uncertainty about whether some feeder insects are sentient, zoos and aquariums should consider their welfare alongside the welfare of the animals to which they are fed. The 3Rs (replacement, reduction, refinement) provide a useful ethical framework for identifying best practices.