Dr. Lori Marino is famous for her work on sentience in animals. She is a neuroscientist and expert in animal behavior and intelligence. She’s an expert in the evolution of the brain and intelligence in dolphins and whales (as well as primates and farmed animals).
Lori has worn many hats throughout her life, everything from student to faculty member, to researcher and collaborator. She’s been featured in films like Blackfish, Unlocking the Cage, and Blackfish follow-up Long Gone Wild.
She’s on the team building The Whale Sanctuary Project – an alternative for whales who have only known captivity and will have the chance to live in nature.
Lori is the Founder & Executive Director of The Kimmela Center for Scholarship-based Animal Advocacy. This group focuses on bringing science to animal law, promoting scholar advocacy, and applying science to animal advocacy. Lori really sits on the edge of combining animal welfare and science and has published over 140 papers!
Lori was also a member of The Someone Project team, which compiled research on sentience in farm animals. Farm animals (all animals actually) desperately need us to speak up for them right now as the Farm Bill is crafted. There is worry that factory farms who are lobbying the government may roll back decades of progress made for animal welfare. Learn more and reach out to your Congress People here.
Personally, I think the work that Lori does is some of the coolest work in the world. By using science, data, and controlled tests, she’s leading the way for us to better understand what animals are REALLY thinking and feeling.
Listen to the episode:
5 Simple Ideas to Help Animals:
1. DON’T VISIT ANIMALS IN CAPTIVITY – DO SOMETHING ELSE. Lori says, “If you decide not to go, you are really making a difference because eventually if enough people decide not to go, we’ll phase that out.” Your kids will better understand how other animals need to live in nature as well. They won’t suffer by not visiting these places.
2. DO NOT SWIM WITH DOLPHINS. They swim or interact with us because that is the only way for them to be fed. They do not want to play with us. In addition, they are wild animals, they’re not happy, and swimming with them is dangerous.
3. REPLACE ONE MEAL A WEEK WITH SOMETHING THAT IS NOT MEAT. Not everyone needs to be vegan. We should focus on helping each other live more compassionate lives, and if that means one meal a week, then it’s worth that one meal.
4. BE UNDERSTANDING OF PEOPLE. There are some pretty horrible things going on in the world, but if people are trying to make a difference, be understanding of less than perfection. And if you’re like me, remind yourself that you don’t have to be perfect either. ;-) Our hearts are in the right place, and our actions are making a difference.
5. CALL YOUR CONGRESS PEOPLE ABOUT THE FARM BILL. There seems to be an ongoing effort from the factory farming industry in the United States to dismantle progress in animal welfare laws. Our Congress People need to hear from us again to ensure that animal welfare stays top of mind for them. Sadly these things are often snuck in behind closed doors and unless we stay on it, pretty detrimental laws could be passed. Take 30 seconds to use The Humane League’s form to contact your Congress People.
Whale Sanctuary Project:
Lori lights up when she talks about the Whale Sanctuary Project and for good reason! This endeavor takes years of her research of sentience in animals and applies it to a real-world solution to help whales who are suffering. Learn more about it here:
The Someone Project (Sentience in Farm Animals):
In this collaborative project, Lori teamed up with Farm Sanctuary to better understand and commuicate sentience in farm animals to the public. They’ve put together some really fascinating research. I’ve linked to some of my favorite papers from the project and on sentience in farm animals in general below:
- “Eating Someone”
- “Thinking Cows: A Review of Cognition, Emotion, and the Social Lives of Domestic Cows”
- “Thinking Chickens: A Review of Cognition, Emotion, and Behavior In the Domestic Chicken”
- “Thinking Pigs: Cognition, Emotion and Personality in the Domestic Pig”
- “Thinking Sheep: A Review of Cognition, Emotion, and Social Complexity in Domestic Sheep”
- “Intelligence, complexity, and individuality in sheep”
- “Signs of Intelligent Life: Pigs possess complex ethological traits similar to dogs and chimpanzees”
Additional Articles to Enjoy:
Lori’s study of sentience in animals spans many species and facets of how we as humans interact with them. Here are some interesting follow-up articles that you may enjoy:
- An updated review of the efficacy of dolphin‐assisted therapy for autism and developmental disabilities
- “Octopus minds must lead to octopus ethics”
- Cetaceans and Primates: Convergence in Intelligence and Self-Awareness
- “Stop Treating Violence Against Animals as a Game”
- “Denial of Death and the Relationship between Humans and Other Animals”
- “Why Animal Welfarism Continues to Fail”
Contact Lori:
- Email: MarinoLori@outlook.com
- The Kimmela Center for Scholarship-Based Advocacy: www.Kimmela.org
- Whale Santuary Project: www.WhaleSanctuary.com
- LinkedIn: @LoriMarino
- Facebook: @Lori.Marino.5
Watch the episode:
Closed captioning transcript included in video. Subscribe on YouTube.
About Lori Marino:

Lori Marino is a neuroscientist and adjunct professor of Animal Studies at New York University. She is the founder and President of the Whale Sanctuary Project and Executive Director of The Kimmela Center for Scholarship-based Animal Advocacy. Lori’s scientific work focuses on the evolution of the brain and intelligence in dolphins and whales (as well as primates and farmed animals), and on the effects of captivity on wild animals. She has published over 140 peer- reviewed scientific papers, book chapters, and magazine articles in these areas. Lori also works at the intersection of science and animal law and policy and is the co-director (with Professor Kathy Hessler) of the Animal Law and Science Project at George Washington University as well as an adjunct faculty member at Vermont Law School. She also teaches at the Vermont Law School and has worked with the Nonhuman Rights Project.
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2 replies on “Sentience in Animals with Dr. Lori Marino”
Maria Lewis-Natter
Darling! Loved the episode & hearing everything that Lori is and has been working on. Animals need our protection
brandy
Hi!! So glad you enjoyed it! She’s brilliant!