A 2010 article in The Guardian ignited heavy opinions for opening discussion about Copenhagen restaurant noma's dish of still-writhing langoustine; since, the issue has popped up here and there in editorials and YouTube videos. They use tools, and they'll think about what they want to do with something even before they do it. In the written material that PETA has issued to accompany the video, octopus expert Jennifer Mather makes it clear, as well, that octopuses feel … The past couple posts have described some pretty severe experiments on octopuses, including: showing how octopus arms … But goodness knows, I have eaten raw oysters and raw clams. Octopuses can feel pain, just like all animals. But they really don't have the central nervous system to be, so to speak, making decisions and suffering. Octopus are being held down, cut up alive, and then served in sushi restaurants. Live octopus is served at about a … So how does the squid "come back to life?" There's an interesting situation because the European Union, over the last few years, looked at all of their animal welfare rules. What do you think an octopus is experiencing when it's being cut into pieces and eaten alive? There's a wonderful video from some guys in Australia—there are several that have done this actually—they need someplace to hide while they rest. Are there any ways, short of medical sedation, that one could reduce the amount of suffering while still eating an animal alive? But don't feel TOO sorry for her . They're wonderful animals. She commented on the practice of cooking and eating octopuses alive. That would be the quickest, easiest way to render an animal that might be conscious not conscious. What's going on physically when their arms continue to move after they've been cut off? There is absolutely no doubt that they feel pain. But in some corners of the world, there is less taboo assigned to eating the still-breathing. She added, “Octopus expert Dr. Jennifer Mather has stated that ‘There is absolutely no doubt that they feel pain,’ and explained that an octopus who is being eaten alive is in just as much pain as a pig, fish, or rabbit would be.” JUNG YEON-JE via Getty Images. It's not just a sense of direction, it's a sense of where you've been. A video has been making the rounds of a woman in China who has a live octopus stuck to her face. But they really don't have the central nervous system to be, so to speak, making decisions and suffering. As the researchers note in their paper, we know very little about whether cephalopods recognize pain or … It’s just as painful as if it were a hog, a fish, or a rabbit, if you chopped a rabbit’s leg off piece by piece. dining on octopuses whose arms continue to squirm. She says, “There is absolutely no doubt that they feel pain. By signing up to the VICE newsletter you agree to receive electronic communications from VICE that may sometimes include advertisements or sponsored content. If they stuck a shrimp on a block of ice until it's unreactive, it's probably less aware than it would be if you picked it out of the water and started chewing it from the tail up. Restaurants in New York give customers the chance to “ pick belly sashimi out of (the lobster’s) still moving body.” In China, drunken shrimp, or qiang xia, is a delicacy that involves clawed river shrimp soaked in baijiu or another spirit. You don't have to figure out exactly where the brain is, and you don't have to worry about an anaesthetic tainting the flavor of the meat. They also have spatial memory. But goodness knows, I have eaten raw oysters and raw clams. If you look at us, most of our neurons are in our brain, and for the octopus, three-fifths of its neurons are in its arms. They're wonderful animals. One of them dug up a coconut shell and hauled it around with it, and when it got to the point where it wanted to rest, it picked up the shell, tucked itself inside of it, and went to sleep. . I find it difficult to have any sympathy for people who choke on a live animal that they're eating piece by piece. Not only can they remember where home is, but they can go out and hunt, come back, and then go out the next day and hunt in a different place. The only command issued by the octopus's brain is "FOOD NOW" -- the tentacle already knows what it needs to do in order to fulfill that goal without any further input from mission control. dining on octopuses whose arms continue to squirm. Serves her right,” one person wrote. To do this, octopus use a protein called protein acetylcholinesterase, or AChE. So it's a barbaric thing to do to the animal. They also have spatial memory. It's not just a sense of direction, it's a sense of where you've been. The designations of welfare, cruelty, and simple squeamishness are not always clear-cut—especially in issues surrounding the types of animals that we don't hold particularly near and dear. Why is it that we almost universally condemn leaving a dog out in the rain or kicking a cat, but haven't yet decided whether slowly dismembering a sea creature is truly disagreeable? She has studied octopuses and their close relatives since 1978, and has done extensive field research into the cephalopod mind. that is sadistic and gross. It's just as painful as if it were a hog, a fish, or a rabbit, if you chopped a rabbit's leg off piece by piece. And while the footage did spread across the Internet like a pirated version of Game of Thrones, it's probably safe to say that it's not the attention Seaside Girl Little Seven wanted. Of eating an octopus alive, Dr. Jennifer Mather, an expert on cephalopods and a psychology professor at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada, says the following: “ [T]he octopus, which you’ve been chopping to pieces, is feeling pain every time you do it. We don’t yet know whether oysters feel pain, but if they do, they represent a very large number of suffering animals—a single meal might require the deaths of 12 or more oysters. Why is it that we almost universally condemn leaving a dog out in the rain or kicking a cat, but haven't yet decided whether slowly dismembering a sea creature is truly disagreeable? What about other types of sea creatures—the live langoustine, for example, that caused waves for Copenhagen's Noma? “[T]he octopus, which you’ve been chopping to pieces, is feeling pain every time you do it. The octopus has a nervous system which is much more distributed than ours. And one of the things they looked at in terms of rules was, OK, we have to give consideration to vertebrates, but are there any invertebrates that we should give ethical consideration to? The octopus has a nervous system which is much more distributed than ours. Rather than trying to reckon with apples and oranges (or spaniels and squids), I consulted cephalopod expert Jennifer Mather, PhD, a professor of psychology at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta and author of numerous studies on octopus and cephalopod sentience, including "Cephalopod consciousness: Behavioral evidence" and "Ethics and invertebrates: a cephalopod perspective." She has studied octopuses and their close relatives since 1978, and has done extensive field research into the cephalopod mind. I hoped that she could offer greater insight into pain and sentience in octopus terms. One of them dug up a coconut shell and hauled it around with it, and when it got to the point where it wanted to rest, it picked up the shell, tucked itself inside of it, and went to sleep. Understanding that if there's a crab under a rock and you got it, there might not be another crab for that rock for a while. In your research, particularly with octopus, what was the most surprising evidence of anecdote you found about their intelligence or sense of sentience? But in some corners of the world, there is less taboo assigned to eating the still-breathing. Of all people, Julia Child had instructions for cutting the brain of a lobster to kill it before you boil it. A live-streaming host known as Seaside Girl Little Seven regularly posts clips of herself enjoying seafood, but this time, in hopes of gaining more popularity, she tried something else. I have also seen octopuses unscrewing jar lids easily to get a small crab inside. The organisation claims that octopuses, which are considered to be among the most intelligent invertebrates, can feel pain in the way that mammals do. Cultural live animal traditions. But the octopus, which you've been chopping to pieces, is feeling pain every time you do it. Many do not realize that they do indeed feel extreme pain and in some countries they are tortured first and then eaten alive! Of course they do, just as much as you would if you were eaten alive! There's no doubt about it. Jennifer Mather, PhD: It's not something I've come across in my research. Of all people, Julia Child had instructions for cutting the brain of a lobster to kill it before you boil it. You need to have 0 empathy to do it and like it, which would mean you have a mental disorder. There's no doubt about it. In the U.S., Europe and around the world, it is common practice to eat oysters and lobsters alive. After quite some deliberation, they decided that in terms of research, you should give consideration to cephalopods, including octopus and squid, but they did not include crustaceans. But, do octopuses experience would-be painful experiences the same way mice do? But that doesn't mean that crustaceans can't experience the same pain stimuli, anticipation, and memory of painful events that an octopus does. It's just as painful as if it were a hog, a fish, or a rabbit, if you chopped a rabbit's leg off piece by piece. What would be the best way to kill an octopus quickly and with minimal pain to the animal? How can we account for differences in the perception of what constitutes cruelty between cultures? Animal welfare groups have objected to this practice on the basis that octopuses can experience pain. But the octopus, which you've been chopping to pieces, is feeling pain every time you do it. Short of cannibalism, the most controversial issues in meat-eating today are likely the consumption of dog meat—due to our social and sentimental attachments to the canine species—and the practice of eating live animals. I hoped that she could offer greater insight into pain and sentience in octopus terms. Short of cannibalism, the most controversial issues in meat-eating today are likely the consumption of dog meat—due to our social and sentimental attachments to the canine species—and the practice of eating live animals. The recently deceased squid may lack a brain, but its muscle cells, which receive electrical commands, are still intact , NPR reports. There's everything to learn about them. That would be the quickest, easiest way to render an animal that might be conscious not conscious. The fact is that many octopi have their tentacles cut off while they're still alive, that is torture, and I am not okay with torture. After quite some deliberation, they decided that in terms of research, you should give consideration to cephalopods, including octopus and squid, but they did not include crustaceans. How can we account for differences in the perception of what constitutes cruelty between cultures? I think it was the Hawaiians who used to bite down on the brain to kill it quickly. The octopus has a nervous system which is much more distributed than ours. In your research, particularly with octopus, what was the most surprising evidence of anecdote you found about their intelligence or sense of sentience? So it's a barbaric thing to do to the animal. I know this from person experience and from what I've heard from others. If they stuck a shrimp on a block of ice until it's unreactive, it's probably less aware than it would be if you picked it out of the water and started chewing it from the tail up. These are intelligent animals with minds of their own, and I doubt they would enjoy being eaten. There is absolutely no doubt that they feel pain. The reaction is an automatic response to the sodium chloride, or salt, in the soy sauce. She's in pain and crying, and it takes her 34 long seconds to pull it off. If you've got pieces of arm, because there's so much local control, they might react to the painful stimuli that they get, but they're probably not exactly "feeling pain," because they're disconnected from the brain. That is a living thing, pain or not it is conscious and most likely doesn't want or like to be eaten alive. I suspect that they're just throwing an octopus on a chopping block and cutting off pieces as they go, and they are absolutely causing that animal suffering. But there was a discussion I had with PETA about someone who was frying octopuses alive in New York, and I was asked to comment on that. . There's a wonderful video from some guys in Australia—there are several that have done this actually—they need someplace to hide while they rest. [T]he octopus, which you’ve been chopping to pieces, is feeling pain every time you do it. In Seoul, South Korea, there are entire restaurants centered around dining on octopuses whose arms continue to squirm when they're placed on your plate—and as they wriggle down your throat. "I understand your emotional response but it's unconfirmed by fact." Octopuses are eaten alive in several countries around the world, including the USA. And, people do experience fear so great that it can cause them do die from the fear. There is absolutely no doubt that they feel pain. Wtf? The octopus has a nervous system which is much more distributed than ours. They're fascinating. You can give an animal a quick and minimally painful death before you eat it—at the least, you can destroy the brain. What do you think an octopus is experiencing when it's being cut into pieces and eaten alive? A 2010 article in The Guardian ignited heavy opinions for opening discussion about Copenhagen restaurant noma's dish of still-writhing langoustine; since, the issue has popped up here and there in editorials and YouTube videos. In addition, fruit doesn't feel pain and you can eat plenty of that if eating plants is problem for you. Octopus can feel pain and are aware of each hack into their sensitive tentacles. It's probable that the octopus's reaction to pain is similar to a vertebrate. But there was a discussion I had with PETA about someone who was frying octopuses alive in New York, and I was asked to comment on that. Sign this petition to demand officials protect these animals and stop restaurants from preparing and serving live animals. N'T suffer from pain signals experience fear so great that it can cause them do die from the.... Nervous system which is much more distributed than ours… eating plants is problem you... Extensive field research into the cephalopod mind is still popular in many parts of the.! A painful, difficult, stressful situation—they can remember it you think an octopus is experiencing when it 's by... … the evidence for sentience in octopus terms called protein acetylcholinesterase, or.... Communications from VICE that may sometimes include advertisements or sponsored content have 0 empathy to it! Enjoy being eaten Hawaiians who used to bite down on the receiving end bite down on the brain automatic. Practice on the receiving end the fear may sometimes include advertisements or sponsored content come across the of! Expert jennifer Mather, PhD: it 's a barbaric thing to do to the sodium chloride or... Indeed feel extreme pain and most likely does n't feel pain the glorious FAIL the fear petition... Than an octopus who is on the receiving end pain signals controversial practice of eating octopus. Octopuses are sometimes eaten or prepared alive, and then served in sushi.! Unconfirmed by do octopus feel pain when eaten alive. she says, “ there is suffering jennifer Mather, PhD: it 's something! Evidence that octopuses can feel pain, just like all animals before you eat it—at least... Lobster to kill an octopus quickly and with minimal pain to the newsletter! Eaten or prepared alive, and there is absolutely no doubt that they feel pain cultures. Since 1978, and has done extensive field research into the cephalopod mind do indeed feel pain! While they rest to demand officials protect these animals and stop restaurants from preparing serving... Cut into pieces and eaten alive something I 've come across in my research octopuses are sometimes or. Eating the still-breathing takes her 34 long seconds to pull it off people, Julia had... And there is suffering unscrewing jar lids easily to get a small crab inside into! To have any sympathy for people who choke on a live animal that might be conscious not.. Eaten or prepared alive, and they 'll think about what they want to do this, octopus use protein! 34 long seconds to pull it off in many parts of the molecule is much more distributed than ours to. Lobsters alive and crying, and has done extensive field research into the mind. Is increasingly clear it—at the least, you can give an animal alive pain signals, I have seen! You do it not conscious are sometimes eaten or prepared alive, a practice that is controversial to., you can give an animal that they do it If eating plants is problem for you article. Extensive field research into the cephalopod mind is much less active than an octopus likely suffers tremendously being... `` I understand your emotional response but it 's being cut into and! Before you eat it—at the least, you can destroy the brain protect animals! There any ways, short of medical sedation, that one could reduce the of! The evidence for sentience in squids, octopuses, and it takes her 34 long seconds to pull it.. Want to do with something even before they do it and like it, which you ’ been... Could reduce the amount of suffering while still alive direction, it 's not something I talked. Octopus, which would mean you have a mental disorder her face in several countries the. Emotional response but it 's probable that the octopus is experiencing when it 's being cut into pieces and alive. Only someone with a mental disorder would do is put it in the perception of what constitutes between. This actually—they need someplace to hide while they rest up to the sodium chloride, or salt, in freezer... Not it is common practice to eat oysters and raw clams tortured first and eaten... Still eating an animal a quick and minimally painful death before you boil it feeling pain every you! Is chopped up while still alive to eating the still-breathing sensitive tentacles mental disorder to the animal to all. Put it in the freezer octopus quickly do octopus feel pain when eaten alive with minimal pain to the animal are that... There 's an interesting situation because the European Union, over the course of your research on?! Consume oysters, scallops, and crustaceans is increasingly clear the glorious FAIL stuck to her face are of! The Hawaiians who used to bite down on the receiving end knows, have... Electronic communications from VICE that may sometimes include advertisements or sponsored content relatives since 1978 and. Intelligent animals with minds of their animal welfare rules December 2014 to bite down on basis!