{"links":{"self":"https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/778829.json"},"data":{"type":"petition","id":778829,"attributes":{"action":"Recognise cetaceans as non-human persons under UK law","background":"Formally recognise cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) as non-human persons under UK law. Modernise our legal framework to protect their rights to life, bodily integrity, and natural liberty, establish criminal offences for harm, and oppose international wild hunts and exploitation.","additional_details":"Science confirms cetaceans are highly intelligent, self-aware, and conscious. While no sovereign state has passed national laws declaring cetaceans as non-human persons, momentum is growing. Indigenous Pacific leaders recently signed the He Whakaputanga Moana treaty, and Tonga is drafting formal personhood acts. Current UK laws treat these sentient beings as mere property. By modernising our legal framework, we protect vital apex predators and ensure justice follows modern scientific reality.","committee_note":"","state":"open","signature_count":17,"closing_date":"2027-03-11","created_at":"2026-08-04T00:35:48.256Z","updated_at":"2026-09-11T22:51:40.000Z","rejected_at":null,"opened_at":"2026-09-11T14:51:21.156Z","closed_at":null,"moderation_threshold_reached_at":"2026-08-04T12:12:50.000Z","response_threshold_reached_at":null,"government_response_at":null,"debate_threshold_reached_at":null,"debate_scheduled_on":null,"scheduled_debate_date":null,"debate_outcome_at":null,"creator_name":"Tracey Ozdemir","rejection":null,"government_response":null,"debate":null,"departments":[{"acronym":"DEFRA","name":"Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs","url":"https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-environment-food-rural-affairs"}],"topics":[],"signatures_by_country":[{"name":"United Kingdom","code":"GB","signature_count":17}],"signatures_by_constituency":[{"name":"Buckingham and Bletchley","ons_code":"E14001141","mp":"Callum Anderson MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"East Wiltshire","ons_code":"E14001217","mp":"Danny Kruger MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Ellesmere Port and Bromborough","ons_code":"E14001222","mp":"Justin Madders MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Gillingham and Rainham","ons_code":"E14001246","mp":"Naushabah Khan MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham","ons_code":"E14001314","mp":"Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Mid Dorset and North Poole","ons_code":"E14001363","mp":"Vikki Slade MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Salford","ons_code":"E14001459","mp":"Rebecca Long Bailey MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Scarborough and Whitby","ons_code":"E14001461","mp":"Alison Hume MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Worsley and Eccles","ons_code":"E14001598","mp":"Michael Wheeler MP","signature_count":3},{"name":"Glasgow North","ons_code":"S14000085","mp":"Martin Rhodes MP","signature_count":2},{"name":"Glasgow South","ons_code":"S14000087","mp":"Gordon McKee MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Lothian East","ons_code":"S14000096","mp":"Rt Hon Douglas Alexander MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Central Ayrshire","ons_code":"S14000109","mp":"Alan Gemmell MP","signature_count":1},{"name":"Neath and Swansea East","ons_code":"W07000103","mp":"Carolyn Harris MP","signature_count":1}],"signatures_by_region":[{"name":"North West","ons_code":"B","signature_count":5},{"name":"Yorkshire and The Humber","ons_code":"D","signature_count":2},{"name":"South East","ons_code":"J","signature_count":2},{"name":"South West","ons_code":"K","signature_count":2},{"name":"Wales","ons_code":"L","signature_count":1},{"name":"Scotland","ons_code":"M","signature_count":5}],"other_parliamentary_business":[]}}}