I’ve been with the Nonhuman Rights Project from the very beginning, working alongside our founder, Steven Wise, to break through the legal status quo that regards nonhuman animals as rightless “things.” After years of researching and meticulously preparing our first-of-their-kind nonhuman rights lawsuits, we delivered our first habeas corpus petition a decade ago on behalf of Tommy, a chimpanzee who was imprisoned alone in a tiny cage in upstate New York. In that moment, we knew that—even with the most rigorous preparation for our first cases—we were entering a great unknown. Until the Nonhuman Rights Project emerged, no group existed solely to challenge the rightlessness of nonhuman animals in a court of law.
We didn’t know what to expect. But, in the face of the unknown, we kept going, because that’s what the NhRP does. We constantly evaluated our legal reasoning, responded to judges’ concerns, and determined how best to overcome the many obstacles we encountered. We connected with animal cognition and behavior experts, scientists, and legal scholars who would write to the court in support of our clients’ freedom. We garnered attention from major media outlets that recognized the magnitude of what we were doing, and we forever changed the mainstream conversation on how we relate to animals—showing the world that animals can and should have fundamental legal rights, too.
Now, I lead a team of dedicated lawyers at the NhRP and am amazed at what we’ve been able to accomplish together. Just last year, the New York Court of Appeals became the highest court in an English-speaking jurisdiction to hear an animal rights case when we fought for Happy, an elephant in solitary confinement in the Bronx Zoo—a case that Harvard historian Jill Lepore called “the most important animal-rights case of the 21st century.” And, this year, we’re filing four new cases to expand the fight for nonhuman rights to four new states.
The NhRP’s work has evolved so much in the past decade, and our nonhuman animal clients still remain at the very heart of it. The scientific evidence shows, time and time again, that our elephant clients are autonomous beings who make their own decisions, form strong relationships, and can experience a wide range of emotions—from joy to sadness. Above all, scientific evidence proves that elephants undoubtedly suffer in captivity. That’s why we continue to fight for their right to bodily liberty, day in and day out.
I’m proud of the work that we’ve done so far, and I know we can accomplish so much more with you on our side. Together, we can continue to build out the legal path to freedom for elephants across the country and around the world.
