Two men in Animals Asia tshirts stand smiling in a lush forest with an elephant in the background.

Bears

Animals Asia appoints world’s first Animal Sentience Director

In another world-first, Animals Asia is leading the way in animal welfare by creating a role focused on animal sentience.

We’re delighted to announce that Dave Neale, formerly Animals Asia’s Animal Welfare Director is our first ‘Director of Animal Sentience’.

Dave explained his exciting and pioneering new role and what it will mean to the perception of all animals not only in Asia, but across the world.

Two Asian school children hold up hand drawn pictures of wildlife
Teaching school children about animals' needs and feelings are key to changing attitudes

‘We want to encourage empathy, education and shift perceptions about how animals think and feel – to build a more compassionate future for animals across Asia. So we made a bold decision and created one of the world’s first Director of Animal Sentience roles.

We wanted to put how animals think and feel at the centre of everything we do.

After 23 years working with Animals Asia, I’ve seen again and again how public perception shapes animal welfare.

Our work to end bear bile farming, elephant riding tourism, the use of animals in entertainment, and the dog and cat meat trades has always been about changing minds as well as laws.

'We wanted to put how animals think and feel at the centre of everything we do.'

Dave Neale

While we know we’re changing the lives of animals across the region, the suffering we continue to see often stems from a lack of understanding of what animals are capable of thinking and feeling.

So we’re using the latest research on animal behaviour, cognition and emotion to build a comprehensive education programme to be delivered across China and Vietnam.

From schoolchildren and university students to teachers and government officials, we’re delivering age-appropriate, science-backed materials that help shape personal opinions about all animals and encourage compassionate choices for their welfare.

Two women stand in a lush forest taking photographs of an elephant that stands at a distance in front of them.
Dave's Animal Sentience and Welfare team set up and run Vietnam's first ethical elephant program

People often don’t realise just how much of a personal impact they can have on the lives of animals, just by making small changes in how they behave.

We want every interaction we make to plant the seed of sentience and help build more informed, empathetic societies.

I sincerely believe that my Director of Animal Sentience role will help us do that – and position us at the forefront of welfare and policy change within China and Vietnam, as attitudes towards animals continue to shift.’

Young monkey in an enclosure sits eating fruits from an abundant hanging basket full of enrichment.
Improvements have been made to captive wild animals' enclosures across Asia

Dave’s bio

Dave holds a first degree in Environmental Science and a Masters in Conservation Biology. In 2001 he witnessed Asiatic Black Bear (moon bear) cubs being sold in Hanoi to bear bile farmers. Dave made contact with Animals Asia to find out how he could help, and shortly after began campaigning to end bear farming and improve animal welfare in China and Vietnam.

During his time as our Animal Welfare Director, Dave led a series of animal welfare campaigns aimed at ending the use of wild animals in circus performances and the keeping of cetaceans in captivity, leading to many venues ending their animal performances and releasing animals to sanctuaries.

He pioneered capacity-building programs to improve the welfare of captive animals, develop animal welfare concepts within the veterinary teaching curriculum, and instigated humane education initiatives within schools which have reached thousands of people across Asia. 

In his spare time, Dave also volunteers as a farm animal welfare campaigner.