Litter (animal) and space, leaving the weakest young, or runts, to die through lack of care. In the wild, only a small percentage, if any, of the litter may survive to maturity, whereas for domesticated animals and those in captivity with human care the whole litter almost always survives. Kittens and puppies are in this group. Carnivores, rodents, and pigs usually have litters, while primates and larger herbivores usually have singletons. Litter (animal) A litter is the live birth of multiple offspring at one time in animals from the same mother and usually from one set of parents, particularly from three to
Wild animal suffering having greater levels of cortisol and elevated stress responses relative to domestic animals. Additionally, unlike domestic animals, animals in the wild do not have some of their needs provided for them by human caretakers. Welfare economist Yew-Kwang Ng has written that evolutionary dynamics can lead to animal welfare which is worse than necessary for a given population equilibrium. In the essay 'On Nature', utilitarian philosopher John Stuart Mill wrote about suffering in nature and the normativity of struggling against it: In sober truth, nearly all the things which men are hanged or imprisoned for doing to one another, are nature's