...the subjective world is inherently "hidden" to us for analysis.

And for me that's the trap of reducing everything to scientific examination: "if something cannot be objectively proved then it does not exist." I find it similar to children covering their eyes and saying that the world disappears because they cannot see it.

I seriously doubt their degree of consciousness would be anywhere close to ours.

I agree that human consciousness might be much more than other creatures have. Yet still denying its realness is quite an arrogant act, as it assumes that via technology we have gained wisdom that exceeds very old human stories, our very foundation.