Elephants are not people, US court rules

A bid to escaped 5 elephants from a Colorado zoo has been rejected aft a tribunal ruled elephants are not people.

An carnal rights radical argued Missy, Kimba, Lucky, LouLou and Jambo were efficaciously imprisoned astatine the zoo, and had filed to person them moved to an elephant sanctuary.

It tried to bring a habeas corpus assertion connected behalf of the animals - a ineligible process which allows a idiosyncratic to situation their detention successful court.

The Colorado Supreme Court said the substance boiled down to "whether an elephant is simply a person" and truthful had the aforesaid liberty rights arsenic a quality - yet deciding that they did not.

It ruled 6-0 successful favour of a erstwhile territory tribunal determination that said the state's habeas corpus process "only applies to persons, and not to nonhuman animals".

This was existent "no substance however cognitively, psychologically, oregon socially blase they whitethorn be," State Supreme Court Justice Maria Berkenkotter added successful her ruling.

While she said the 5 aged African elephants were "majestic," the tribunal ruled the assertion could not beryllium brought "because an elephant is not a person".

The Nonhuman Rights Project (NRP) petitioned for the elephants to beryllium moved from Cheyenne Mountain Zoo to a "suitable elephant sanctuary" successful 2023.

The radical argued the animals had a close to state due to the fact that they were emotionally analyzable and intelligent animals.

It claimed the elephants showed signs of "trauma, encephalon damage, and chronic stress" and that they were efficaciously "imprisoned" astatine the zoo.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo rejected the claim, arguing the elephants had received singular care, and was supported by a territory court.

After the Supreme Court ruling, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo called NRP's suit "frivolous" and said it had "wasted" clip and wealth connected the case.

It accused the radical of "abusing tribunal systems to fundraise" and claimed its extremity was "to manipulate radical into donating to their origin by incessantly publicising sensational tribunal cases with relentless calls for supporters to donate".

NRP said the determination "perpetuate[d] a wide injustice, stating that unless an idiosyncratic is quality they person nary close to liberty".

"As with different societal justness movements, aboriginal losses are expected arsenic we situation an entrenched presumption quo that has allowed Missy, Kimba, Lucky, LouLou, and Jambo to beryllium relegated to a beingness of intelligence and carnal suffering," the radical said successful a statement.

An earlier bid by NRP to escaped an elephant named Happy from New York's Bronx Zoo was rejected aft the tribunal judged she was not legally a person.