For the second time in United States legal history and the first time anywhere on behalf of an elephant, a judge has issued a habeas corpus Order on behalf of a nonhuman animal and scheduled a hearing to determine whether she must be released from her imprisonment.
On Dec. 14th in Albion, New York, our elephant client Happy will have a habeas corpus hearing on the merits of our arguments that the Court must: 1) recognize her fundamental right to bodily liberty 2) order her immediate release from the Bronx Zoo and 3) transfer her to an elephant sanctuary where she can meaningfully exercise her autonomy to the greatest extent possible, including having the opportunity to live and interact with other elephants. Learn more here in my interview with Andréa Morris of Forbes. Thank you Andréa!
Sanctuary is life-changing for the nonhuman animals who are our clients. When they are imprisoned, they suffer the way any autonomous being would when deprived of all choice and anything resembling a natural life.
That is why we are thrilled our clients Hercules and Leo—the first nonhuman animals in the world to have a habeas corpus hearing, with the story of their suffering brought out of the shadows by our litigation—are now enjoying their autonomy at Project Chimps sanctuary. Our Director of Government Relations Courtney Fern and Executive Director Kevin Schneider recently visited Project Chimps, as Courtney writes about in this new blog post. Courtney and Kevin are happy to report that, after years spent as research subjects in a basement lab, Hercules and Leo are flourishing. Sometimes a photo says it all. Here is a photo of Hercules seemingly deep in thought as he enjoys the sunshine, fresh air, and greenery:
And here is a photo of Leo with his good friend Jacob:
Thank you for your support for nonhuman rights. We will be in touch again soon!
Steven M. Wise
President, the NhRP
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