The Supreme Court of New York ruled that the Bronx Zoo elephants are not “people” and that civil rights groups fighting for liberation to the sanctuary do not have the right to do so on her behalf.
The non-human rights project claimed that an elephant named Happy was illegally trapped in a zoo and attempted to move it to the elephant sanctuary.
The court debate focused on whether the Habeas corpus legal principles to prevent illegal detention should be extended to emotionally complex and intelligent animals.
The court finally ruled that elephants are “impressive” but do not have the same rights of freedom as humans.
