The U.K. has legally acknowledged octopuses and crabs as sentient beings, bringing the country closer to scientific consensus on these intelligent species.
"The science is now clear that decapods and cephalopods can feel pain and therefore it is only right they are covered by this vital piece of legislation," UK Animal Welfare Minister Lord Zac Goldsmith said in a statement.
The update to the Animal Welfare Sentience Bill, which would protect cephalopods (octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish) and decapods (crabs, lobsters, and crayfish) alongside all back-boned animals from frogs to dogs, comes after the London School of Economics and Political Science reviewed over 300 scientific studies.
Vertebrates, or animals having a backbone, are already designated as sentient in the United Kingdom's new animal welfare legislation, which is now being debated.
The bill, which has not yet become law, will create an Animal Sentience Committee that will produce reports on how well government choices have considered the welfare of sentient animals. It's part of a larger government Animal Welfare Action Plan.
Lobsters and crabs should not be boiled alive, according to the report, which also included recommended practices for transporting, stunning, and slaughtering decapods and cephalopods.
The researchers looked at eight different aspects of sentience in these invertebrates, such as learning ability, the presence of pain receptors and their relationship to the brain, anesthetic response, and injury-protective actions.
Despite how strange some of their characteristics, such as octopus arm-'brains,' appear to us, these incredible species demonstrate such abilities thanks in part to their intricate central nerve systems.
Cephalopods have shown that they are quite intelligent. Cuttlefish, for example, can pass cognitive tests meant for human children, whilst octopuses can recognize specific humans, recall how to solve problems they've seen previously, and are famed escape artists.
They, too, experience emotional anguish, and when confined to situations that are devoid of stimulation, they become dissatisfied and bored in the same way that we do. They might even have the ability to dream.
Crabs, while not as well-known as the octopus, have also shown the ability to learn by association. They can figure out how to navigate complicated mazes and recognize and remember that a fake seagull isn't a threat. They also feel pain and exhibit protective and learning behaviors to avoid it, as well as being stressed by excessive loudness.
While some of the species covered by the proposed updates lack these features, the study notes that this is due to a lack of research rather than evidence of absence. As a result, it suggests that protections be extended to all animals in these two classes.
