It was 2018, and a documentary about the Nonhuman Rights Project, Unlocking the Cage, had just been nominated for an Emmy. I’d ridden several hours on the Amtrak from DC to New York next to a woman about my age; I remember she was giving me the side eye as I chewed my carrots. Later, she asked me to watch her bags while she went to the bathroom. That evening, looking for my NhRP colleagues outside the venue, I bumped into my Amtrak friend, who apparently was there on behalf of CNN. “Hey, carrot girl!” she said, adding to the surreality of the moment for me–it felt strange and exciting to know that a documentary about animal rights and our first chimpanzee clients was receiving critical acclaim and being seen by people around the world.
I found my Ludster (our Litigation Director Elizabeth Stein), our founder and my mentor Steve, and Steve’s wife, and we headed in with the directors of the film and representatives from HBO. The moment Unlocking the Cage showed up on the big screen for its own nomination, I sparkled with pride for working at the NhRP.
And that was far from the first or last time I felt that way. Ten years into our litigation, with more animal rights court hearings beginning to take place and more judges beginning to reject animals’ thinghood and embrace the idea that they can be rights-holders, I feel this pride even more strongly today.
Right now, we have seven chimpanzee clients who are being held in captivity in a roadside zoo in Michigan. As the lead NhRP attorney for these clients I’m thrilled to be starting 2025 with a hearing in their important case, which has the support of Jane Goodall and other esteemed chimpanzee cognition and behavior experts. I’ll let you know as soon as we have a date for this hearing. Could you please take a moment to show your support for their freedom by signing this petition on their behalf? Chimpanzees are our closest living relatives and deserve freedom:
