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. 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. 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. Of all people, Julia Child had instructions for cutting the brain of a lobster to kill it before you boil it. In your research, particularly with octopus, what was the most surprising evidence of anecdote you found about their intelligence or sense of sentience? What's going on physically when their arms continue to move after they've been cut off? A video has been making the rounds of a woman in China who has a live octopus stuck to her face. Only someone with a mental disorder would do that. In the written material that PETA has issued to accompany the video, octopus expert Jennifer Mather makes it clear, as well, that octopuses feel … Sign this petition to demand officials protect these animals and stop restaurants from preparing and serving live animals. MUNCHIES: Have you come across the practice of eating live octopus over the course of your research on cephalopods? What about other types of sea creatures—the live langoustine, for example, that caused waves for Copenhagen's Noma? It's not just a sense of direction, it's a sense of where you've been. 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 have also seen octopuses unscrewing jar lids easily to get a small crab inside. I hoped that she could offer greater insight into pain and sentience in octopus terms. But, do octopuses experience would-be painful experiences the same way mice do? 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. If they killed the octopus first then I wouldn't care, but the kept it alive just to inflict pain by cutting off it's legs. 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. MUNCHIES: Have you come across the practice of eating live octopus over the course of your research on cephalopods? They use tools, and they'll think about what they want to do with something even before they do it. 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. 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. 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. Sometimes, they’re even eaten alive! The controversial practice of eating live animals is still popular in many parts of the world. And, people do experience fear so great that it can cause them do die from the fear. 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. 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. “ [T]he octopus, which you’ve been chopping to pieces, is feeling pain every time you do it. They can anticipate a painful, difficult, stressful situation—they can remember it. This is extremely barbaric to have these … Are there any ways, short of medical sedation, that one could reduce the amount of suffering while still eating an animal alive? There is absolutely no doubt that they feel pain. The evidence for sentience in squids, octopuses, and crustaceans is increasingly clear. In addition, fruit doesn't feel pain and you can eat plenty of that if eating plants is problem for you. We asked a cephalopod expert how it feels for an octopus who is on the receiving end. How can we account for differences in the perception of what constitutes cruelty between cultures? Crustaceans, cephalopods, and mollusks don't have any internal temperature regulation, so if you freeze them you can get them to the point where they're really not conscious. But goodness knows, I have eaten raw oysters and raw clams. Serves her right,” one person wrote. I think it was the Hawaiians who used to bite down on the brain to kill it quickly. What do you think an octopus is experiencing when it's being cut into pieces and eaten alive? But the octopus, which you've been chopping to pieces, is feeling pain every time you do it. Crustaceans, cephalopods, and mollusks don't have any internal temperature regulation, so if you freeze them you can get them to the point where they're really not conscious. 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. 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. Do Octopuses Feel Pain? Animal welfare groups have objected to this practice on the basis that octopuses can experience pain. They have a nervous system which is much more distributed than ours…. Often times, the octopus is chopped up while still living and breathing, feeling every bit of the pain. 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. She has studied octopuses and their close relatives since 1978, and has done extensive field research into the cephalopod mind. Octopus are being held down, cut up alive, and then served in sushi restaurants. But that doesn't mean that crustaceans can't experience the same pain stimuli, anticipation, and memory of painful events that an octopus does. I find it difficult to have any sympathy for people who choke on a live animal that they're eating piece by piece. No animal deserves to be hacked to pieces while still alive. They can anticipate a painful, difficult, stressful situation—they can remember it. These are intelligent animals with minds of their own, and I doubt they would enjoy being eaten. What I would do is put it in the freezer. 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. How can we account for differences in the perception of what constitutes cruelty between cultures? Are baby octopus really babies? dining on octopuses whose arms continue to squirm. Octopuses are eaten alive in several countries around the world, including the USA. That would be the quickest, easiest way to render an animal that might be conscious not conscious. What do you think an octopus is experiencing when it's being cut into pieces and eaten alive? Are there any ways, short of medical sedation, that one could reduce the amount of suffering while still eating an animal alive? So it's a barbaric thing to do to the animal. She says, “There is absolutely no doubt that they feel pain. So it’s a barbaric thing to do to the animal.”—Cephalopod expert Dr. Jennifer Mather It's probable that the octopus's reaction to pain is similar to a vertebrate. Many do not realize that they do indeed feel extreme pain and in some countries they are tortured first and then eaten alive! The octopus has a nervous system which is much more distributed than ours. Cephalopod expert Jennifer Mather, PhD explains that an octopus likely suffers tremendously while being cut up. There's an interesting situation because the European Union, over the last few years, looked at all of their animal welfare rules. ... researchers have observed an octopus’s color changing and activity patterns and looked for any self-inflicted harm (swimming into the side of a tank or eating … Of all people, Julia Child had instructions for cutting the brain of a lobster to kill it before you boil it. We asked a cephalopod expert how it feels for an octopus who is on the receiving end. that is sadistic and gross. What I would do is put it in the freezer. The octopus has a nervous system which is much more distributed than ours. 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. Even though plants probable don't feel pain and most defiantly don't suffer from pain signals. There's an interesting situation because the European Union, over the last few years, looked at all of their animal welfare rules. 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? Of course they do, just as much as you would if you were eaten alive! 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. So how does the squid "come back to life?" I've talked to other people about this—there is cultural sensitivity, and there is suffering. What would be the best way to kill an octopus quickly and with minimal pain to the animal? There is absolutely no doubt that they feel pain. Cultural live animal traditions. "I understand your emotional response but it's unconfirmed by fact." . Octopuses can feel pain, just like all animals. 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. As the researchers note in their paper, we know very little about whether cephalopods recognize pain or … Do Octopuses Feel Pain? They also have spatial memory. In your research, particularly with octopus, what was the most surprising evidence of anecdote you found about their intelligence or sense of sentience? I've talked to other people about this—there is cultural sensitivity, and there is suffering. 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. But they really don't have the central nervous system to be, so to speak, making decisions and suffering. What would be the best way to kill an octopus quickly and with minimal pain to the animal? The organisation claims that octopuses, which are considered to be among the most intelligent invertebrates, can feel pain in the way that mammals do. 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." 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. 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. But the octopus, which you've been chopping to pieces, is feeling pain every time you do it. She's in pain and crying, and it takes her 34 long seconds to pull it off. 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, “ [T]he octopus, which you’ve been chopping to pieces, is feeling pain every time you do it. 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. What about other types of sea creatures—the live langoustine, for example, that caused waves for Copenhagen's Noma? This article originally appeared on MUNCHIES in December 2014. But that doesn't mean that crustaceans can't experience the same pain stimuli, anticipation, and memory of painful events that an octopus does. There's no doubt about it. 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 … 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. Octopuses can feel pain, just like all animals. The past couple posts have described some pretty severe experiments on octopuses, including: showing how octopus arms … The octopus has a nervous system which is much more distributed than ours. 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. You just stick it in the freezer. 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. She has studied octopuses and their close relatives since 1978, and has done extensive field research into the cephalopod mind. They're wonderful animals. “[T]he octopus, which you’ve been chopping to pieces, is feeling pain every time you do it. So, in most cases it would be painful, yes, and terrifying, but there can also be some protection from the experience, not always but sometimes. The controversial practice of eating live animals is still popular in many parts of the world. 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. That is a living thing, pain or not it is conscious and most likely doesn't want or like to be eaten alive. The octopus has a nervous system which is much more distributed than ours. It's not just a sense of direction, it's a sense of where you've been. My thought is that if you had a whole octopus and tried to eat it, it would be a completely repellant situation because the octopus would try to climb out. To do this, octopus use a protein called protein acetylcholinesterase, or AChE. She commented on the practice of cooking and eating octopuses alive. “If I was an octopus trying to be eaten alive I would have done the same. By signing up to the VICE newsletter you agree to receive electronic communications from VICE that may sometimes include advertisements or sponsored content. But they really don't have the central nervous system to be, so to speak, making decisions and suffering. edit: Interesting the thumbs down. 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. But don't feel TOO sorry for her . Jennifer Mather, PhD: It's not something I've come across in my research. They also have spatial memory. 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. My thought is that if you had a whole octopus and tried to eat it, it would be a completely repellant situation because the octopus would try to climb out. I find it difficult to have any sympathy for people who choke on a live animal that they're eating piece by piece. We don’t need to consume oysters, scallops, and clams to survive. Wtf? 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. 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. But in today's day and age, we get to see all the glorious FAIL! I know this from person experience and from what I've heard from others. The recently deceased squid may lack a brain, but its muscle cells, which receive electrical commands, are still intact , NPR reports. It's probable that the octopus's reaction to pain is similar to a vertebrate. By signing up to the VICE newsletter you agree to receive electronic communications from VICE that may sometimes include advertisements or sponsored content. [T]he octopus, which you’ve been chopping to pieces, is feeling pain every time you do it. 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. 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