MEDIA ADVISORY FOR OCTOBER 24, 2024
Colorado Supreme Court to Hear Arguments in Support of Elephants’ Right to Liberty
On Thursday, October 24th in Boulder, the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) will argue before Colorado’s highest court for the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (CMZ) elephants’ right to liberty and release to an elephant sanctuary. This hearing will mark the first time the Colorado Supreme Court will consider whether a nonhuman being is entitled to a legal right.
The NhRP has documented the CMZ elephants regularly engaging in behavior scientifically known to be caused by the chronic stress and trauma of zoo captivity. The NhRP’s case is supported by experts in elephant cognition and behavior, habeas corpus, philosophy, civil rights, and animal law. The hearing will take place in the Wolf Law Building at the University of Colorado as part of the Courts in the Community program, which invites law students to observe oral arguments.
WHAT: Historic animal rights hearing in Colorado to #FreeTheCMZElephants, followed by interviews with NhRP Executive Director and NhRP arguing attorney
WHEN: Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024
Hearing before Colorado Supreme Court, with 30 minutes of argument on both sides: 9:15 – 10:15 a.m. MDT
One-on-one media interviews with NhRP Executive Director Christopher Berry and NhRP attorney Jake Davis: 10:45 a.m. MDT
To arrange interviews please contact Lauren Choplin, (856) 381-9447, lchoplin@nonhumanrights.org
WHERE: Boulder, CO
Hearing: Wolf Law Building, Main Courtroom, Room 101, 2450 Kittredge Loop Dr, Boulder, CO 80305. Click here for parking details and a campus map. To apply for expanded media coverage, click here.
Post-Hearing Interviews: In the courtyard outside the south entrance to the Wolf Law Building. See building map here.
WHO: Experts available for interviews–
Christopher Berry: NhRP Executive Director
Jake Davis: NhRP attorney arguing the CMZ elephants’ case
WHY: We’re asking the Colorado Supreme Court to 1) recognize that our clients are entitled to challenge their imprisonment through the writ of habeas corpus and 2) order the lower court to hold a hearing on the merits of the elephants’ case, which the lower court chose not to do simply because our clients aren’t human. Ultimately, we’re urging the Colorado courts to recognize our clients’ right to liberty and order their release to an elephant sanctuary where they can live as freely as possible in an environment as close as possible to the natural habitats they were taken from.
To access the NhRP’s Colorado media kit, including key filings and photos and videos of the elephants, visit this Google Drive folder. For the elephants’ stories and a complete court case timeline, visit their client page.
PRESS CONTACT:
NhRP Communications Director Lauren Choplin
lchoplin@nonhumarights.org
(856) 381-9447