Watch: Octopus Stabbed and Eaten ALIVE

Slaughtering animals for food is bad enough, but eating them while they’re still alive? That sounds like the plot of a horror movie. In this disturbing video, a live octopus is pinned on a grill and stabbed repeatedly by diners, who appear to carry on a conversation and even laugh as the animal struggles for his or her life. The diners hold down the animal’s tentacles on the hot surface, and one person digs his hand into the octopus’s head, tearing it open.

Regardless of species, cutting into live animals and eating them is just plain cruel.

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. 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. SO IT’S A BARBARIC THING TO DO TO THE ANIMAL.

In this video, diners laugh as a small octopus tries to get away:

Octopuses are extremely intelligent, resourceful, and individual beings who deserve to enjoy the vastness of their ocean home. Some species cuddle with each other, while others have been known to bond with humans. They use tools, are masterful escape artists, and can pass personality traits on to their offspring.