'Grey parrots have the intelligence of a four to six year old human child and learn in ways that are similar to those of a human child'.

Scientists from around the world voted unanimously in London on 18th March 2005 for the United Nations to recognize that animals are sentient beings, capable of suffering.

The scientists were among the 600-strong vote that was the culmination of a two day conference on animal sentience held at the QE II Conference Centre in London. Entitled 'From Darwin to Dawkins:  the science and implications of animal sentience' the conference was organized by the British-based organisation Compassion in World Farming Trust.

Giving the keynote speech, world renowned primatologist Dr Jane Goodall, who was appointed a UN Messenger of Peace in 2002, said: 'Back in 1960 - when I first started my work with chimpanzees - a conference like this could not have taken place.  Today, we are beginning to understand that we are not the only beings on this planet with personalities, minds and feelings and the blurring of the line between 'them' and 'us' raises tremendous ethical concerns because of the way we treat them (animals).

In paper after paper, animal scientists gave the conference insight into the feeling of animals from parrots to pigs.

At the end, professor John Webster of the Department of Veterinary Science, University of Bristol, received resounding applause and support for the following statement to be Convoyed to the revelent international bodies:  'This conference calls on the UN, the WTO, the World Animal Health Organization (OIE) and their member governments to join us in recognising that sentient animals are capable of suffering and that we all have a duty to preserve the habit of wild animals and to end cruel farming systems and other trades and practices which inflict suffering on animals.'

Many delegates said they believed that the conference would be seen by history as a watershed between the old world perception of animals as products and property, and the emerging new world acknowledgement of animals as deeply sentient beings.