Dear John,

Over the course of three days between September of 2019 and January of 2020, Bronx Supreme Court Justice Alison Y. Tuitt heard 13 hours of arguments on the question of whether our client Happy---an elephant who has been imprisoned in the Bronx Zoo for over 40 years---is entitled to the legal right to be released from her imprisonment and sent to an elephant sanctuary. On Feb. 18, 2020, Justice Tuitt issued a decision that powerfully supports the Nonhuman Rights Project’s arguments and brings us one step closer to securing liberty and justice for Happy and other nonhuman animals.

We’ve just notified the Bronx Supreme Court that we’re appealing to the First Judicial Department, where we look forward to filing our brief and arguing before that court as soon as possible. Meanwhile we have not lessened the relentless pressure that we and our allies continue to bring on the Bronx Zoo to transfer Happy.

We ask you today to please make a donation that will help us continue to fight for her freedom in and beyond the courtroom.

To answer your most commonly asked questions about Justice Tuitt’s decision, we have created a resource that explains why it’s important and what happens next. In short: Justice Tuitt’s decision shows that after six years of litigation by the Nonhuman Rights Project, the anachronistic legal idea that all nonhuman animals are legal “things” with no rights is beginning to crumble in New York State.

Click here to read the full FAQ and share it on social media.

For Happy and all who suffer as she does, now is a crucial time to give. Can you help us shift the legal status quo for Happy and other nonhuman animals? Your donation will directly fuel the NhRP’s tireless efforts to win actual, enforceable legal rights for members of other species, beginning with autonomous nonhuman animals’ right to liberty.

Please donate today.

The NhRP will not stop fighting for Happy’s freedom until she has it. Thank you for being part of this fight.

With gratitude,
Steven M. Wise
President, the NhRP