One quick way to re-instill motivation for those working on the animal welfare of those of unknown sentience, It’s useful to remember that the probability of 2 possibly sentient beings being sentient, even if they are the same species, is independent. They don’t have to be either both sentient or not sentient, so you’re not taking a 1 in 100 chance that your job is worthwhile. You’re taking a 1-(0.99ⁿ) (where n is the number of times you save a life that has a 1 in 100 chance of being sentient) of your job being worthwhile.
One quick way to re-instill motivation for those working on the animal welfare of those of unknown sentience, It’s useful to remember that the probability of 2 possibly sentient beings being sentient, even if they are the same species, is independent. They don’t have to be either both sentient or not sentient, so you’re not taking a 1 in 100 chance that your job is worthwhile. You’re taking a 1-(0.99ⁿ) (where n is the number of times you save a life that has a 1 in 100 chance of being sentient) of your job being worthwhile.