A Colorado court has ruled against a bid to free five elephants from a local zoo, determining that elephants do not have the same legal rights as humans.
The case, filed by the Nonhuman Rights Project (NRP), sought to move Missy, Kimba, Lucky, LouLou, and Jambo to an elephant sanctuary, arguing that the animals were effectively imprisoned at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.
The NRP had filed a habeas corpus petition, a legal process traditionally used to challenge unlawful detention.
However, the Colorado Supreme Court ruled 6-0 in favor of a previous district court decision, stating that habeas corpus laws apply only to “persons,” not nonhuman animals.
Despite the animals’ advanced cognitive abilities, the court concluded they could not be granted liberty rights, ruling the animals’ confinement did not meet the legal threshold for a habeas corpus claim.
Cheyenne Mountain Zoo defended its care of the elephants, while NRP expressed disappointment, calling the decision a “clear injustice.”
This ruling follows a similar previous case where an elephant named Happy was also denied legal personhood in New York.
add your comment
Terms of publication : Not to offend the writer, people, sacred things, or attack religions or the divine self, and refrain from racist incitement and insults.