As I swim in familiar waters full of rocks, tides, kelp, and natural seawater, learning its complex rhythms and songs, the recent past begins to feel like a distant memory. The never-ending reality that was once my daily nightmare has ended. For over two decades, my home–more accurately, my prison—was a concrete tank, not even twice as deep as my body’s length, in which I swam in an endless, monotonous loop in chlorinated water, bombarded by painful screams I could not escape. Donate today to support the fight for cetaceans’ right to liberty. |
Every day, crowds delighted in the enormity of my 8,000-pound black-and-white body as I performed tricks for them. They had the freedom to leave, to come and go as they pleased—unlike me. Often, the stress of my prison became so overwhelming that I would chew on the steel gates, resulting in forced smiles of broken and missing teeth.
Then one day, my reality transformed—along with the reality that made this transformation possible.
There are no steel gates where I am now and no crowds to perform for. I can swim vastly greater distances, exploring new sights and tastes. Surrounded by ocean waters and a web of new sounds, I am free from my prison, and I feel hope again. |
Dear John,
Above, the Nonhuman Rights Project imagines the perspective of an orca who’s able to leave behind the tank in which he’s been confined and finally find freedom in a seaside sanctuary.
In 2025, the NhRP will file our first lawsuit on behalf of a cetacean (cetacean = a marine mammal of the order Cetacea, including dolphins, whales, and porpoises). To protect our client and the case, we can’t disclose their identity or even their species until we file, but we can tell you we’ll be going up against yet another wealthy, powerful institution that has a vested interest in nonhuman animals remaining “things” with no rights. Can you donate today so we can bring as many resources as possible to this upcoming legal fight? Through December 31st, every donation will be matched, dollar for dollar, up to $75,000.
Here at the NhRP, we’re working to transform the legal reality that recognizes humans as the only animals with fundamental rights. The current legal status quo allows cetaceans and countless other nonhuman animals to be treated as as mere resources for human use. This is unjust and must change. When it does, the lives of nonhuman animals will be profoundly affected—for the better. Thank you so much for your support.
Spencer Lo
Senior Staff Attorney, the NhRP
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The NhRP is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation (Tax ID #: 04-3289466). It is solely through your donations that we can continue to work for the recognition and protection of fundamental rights for nonhuman animals. |
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