In November 2021, the United Kingdom recognized crabs, lobsters, octopus and other decapod crustaceans and cephalopod invertebrates as sentient beings. The animals were added to the UK's new Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill, which will protect them for the first time when the bill becomes law in early 2022.

Expanding our awareness to more species is cause for hope and celebration, says Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International – UK. The Humane Society and other animal welfare organizations have worked on the sentience bill with the British government for several years.

In this episode, Claire, who has rescued animals since childhood, explains what the new sentience law means. We also talk about opportunities since Brexit to accelerate efforts to ban live exports and the import of fur and hunting trophies and to deepen campaigns on behalf of the 88 billion industrialized animals who suffer worldwide every year, so humans can consume meat and dairy products.

Calls to action:

Go to hsi.org to support Humane Society International's efforts to:

• Recognize non-human animals as sentient
• Ban fur and hunting trophy imports
• Encourage plant-based diets
• And to learn about HSI's many other global campaigns for non-human animals.

Sentient Planet is an independent production created on the traditional land of the Nisqually Tribe in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Please consider supporting our work on Patreon. Thank you!

Intro music: "The Spaces Between" by Scott Buckley.

Interstitial music: "Stardome" by Stellardrone.