Petition · past parliament
Reverse the MPs vote which states that Animals cannot feel pain or emotions.
Rejected
21 signatures
What the petition asks
Recently MPs Voted that Animals have no sentience and cannot feel pain or emotions. Yet we know this is not true, it is proven fact that animals have pain response and get excited and indeed happy. Mammals have the same nervous system and pain responses we do, other animals show aversion to pain.
Marc Bekoff Evolutionary Biologist quoted in National Geographic December 3 2016.
David Attenborough, Blue Planet II 20th November 2017 aired, whale carries her dead baby due to emotional attachment. Fish avoid predators due to fear of death and have shown pain responses.
Responses by dogs/cats/wild mammals to pain: Yelping, cowering if abused showing fear, protecting young at any cost.
Research studies show pain in lab animals must be recognised and it is unethical to ignore suffering.
David Attenborough, Blue Planet II 20th November 2017 aired, whale carries her dead baby due to emotional attachment. Fish avoid predators due to fear of death and have shown pain responses.
Responses by dogs/cats/wild mammals to pain: Yelping, cowering if abused showing fear, protecting young at any cost.
Research studies show pain in lab animals must be recognised and it is unethical to ignore suffering.
Why it was rejected
There was already a petition about this issue. Duplicates are rejected so signatures collect in one place.
Timeline
| 21 Nov 2017 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 24 Nov 2017 | Rejected by the Petitions Committee |
Key facts
Signatures
21
Status
Rejected
Rejected
24 Nov 2017
Follow this petition
Sign in to get an email when the government responds, a debate is scheduled or held, or the petition closes.
Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.