Chimp 'Personhood' Advocates Seek New Appeal in NY

by Megan Gannon, News Editor | December 18, 2014 05:14pm ET

Animal-rights advocates seeking "personhood" for chimpanzees want to take their case to the highest court in New York State.

Since 2013, an organization called the Nonhuman Rights Project has been seeking a writ of habeas corpus to free a pet chimpanzee named Tommy from the cage in which he is housed in upstate New York.

A writ of habeas corpus is designed to prevent unreasonable detention — but so far, only for people. Lawyer Steven Wise and his colleagues at the Nonhuman Rights Project have been arguing in New York's courts that Tommy's living conditions are akin to those of a person living in unlawful solitary confinement. They want him moved to a sanctuary instead.

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US chimpanzee Tommy 'has no human rights' - court

A chimpanzee is not entitled to the same rights as people and does not have be freed from captivity by its owner, a US court has ruled.

The appeals court in New York state said caged chimpanzee Tommy could not be recognised as a "legal person" as it "cannot bear any legal duties".

The Nonhuman Rights Project had argued that chimps who had such similar characteristics to the humans deserved basic rights, including freedom.

The rights group said it would appeal.

Owner pleased

In its ruling, the judges wrote: "So far as legal theory is concerned, a person is any being whom the law regards as capable of rights and duties.

"Needless to say, unlike human beings, chimpanzees cannot bear any legal duties, submit to societal responsibilities or be held legally accountable for their actions.''

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Court Could Decide If Chimpanzees Are Legal Persons

By Megan Gannon, News Editor | October 07, 2014 07:25am ET

The case of Tommy the pet chimpanzee goes back to court this week, and a group of judges could decide whether he should be recognized as a "person" under the law.

The organization advocating for Tommy will appeal a 2013 decision that denied the captive ape a writ of habeas corpus in New York. 

A writ of habeas corpus is intended to protect people from unlawful detention. Last December, the Nonhuman Rights Project asked the state Supreme Court for a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of Tommy, a caged chimpanzee in Gloversville, New York. Tommy, the organization argued, was being held against his will in solitary confinement and should be released into a sanctuary that closely mimics a natural environment.

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