Rights protect against intolerable wrongs—no matter who you are.
With persistence and rigor, we're challenging a centuries-old status quo that unjustly sees all nonhuman animals as legal "things" with no rights.
The NhRP will appeal to Pennsylvania Superior Court in Pittsburgh Zoo elephant case
Following a case dismissal by the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas on February 12, the NhRP is moving forward with an appeal to secure the freedom of Angeline, Savanna, Tasha, Victoria, and Zuri. Lead attorney Jake Davis notes that while the dismissal disregards the historic role of habeas corpus in remedying injustice, the court’s attention to our arguments represents progress. We now look to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania to recognize the rights of Savanna, Tasha, Angeline, Victoria, and Zuri.
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Our clients
Our initial cases demand the right to liberty of self-aware, autonomous nonhuman beings who undeniably suffer when deprived of their freedom.
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The Nonhuman Rights Project, Inc.
611 Pennsylvania Ave SE #345
Washington, DC 20003
611 Pennsylvania Ave SE #345
Washington, DC 20003
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Submit a message to help #FreeTheFresnoElephants.
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Submit a message to help #FreeHappy and #FreePatty.
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Elephants don’t belong in zoos.
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Join others in calling for freedom for the Fresno Chaffee Zoo elephants.
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The science is clear. When will the law catch up?
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We aren’t the only beings who need and want to live freely.
Media coverage
New Yorker
“A curious legal crusade is raising profound questions about the interdependence of the animal and human kingdoms.”
Associated Press
“Animal rights activists have started legal efforts aimed at removing elephants from zoos.”
The Atlantic
“No case like this has ever reached so high a court, anywhere in the English-speaking world.”
A brief history of the NhRP's impact
As in any fight for social justice, persistence is key to progress. Below are some key milestones in our fight for nonhuman rights.
December 2013
The NhRP launches our long-term litigation campaign in New York with habeas corpus petitions demanding the right to liberty of four captive chimpanzees.
May 2015
Our chimpanzee clients Hercules and Leo become the first nonhuman animals in history to have habeas corpus hearings to determine the lawfulness of their imprisonment.
May 2018
A judge on New York's highest court urges his fellow judges to treat our clients' rightlessness as “a deep dilemma of ethics and policy that demands our attention."
November 2017
The NhRP files the first-ever habeas corpus petition on behalf of elephants.
May 2022
The New York Court of Appeals becomes the highest court in the US to hear arguments in support of nonhuman animal rights in our elephant client Happy's case.
June 2022
Two judges on New York's highest court issue powerful dissents in support of Happy the elephant's right to liberty.
Blog
The Fight for a Justice System that Does Justice
Jambo’s story breaks my heart. Throughout her life, she has been punished for things outside of her control. She was…
From the Halls of Justice to the Pittsburgh Zoo: Documenting the Reality of Elephant Captivity
Photographer Gigi Glendinning generously volunteered her time and talent to document the lives of the NhRP’s clients—five female African elephants…
Our Case for Elephant Rights in Hawai‘i Continues
Earlier this year, the Nonhuman Rights Project’s habeas corpus petition on behalf of Mari and Vaigai—two, wild-born female Asian elephants…
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