This ordinance was groundbreaking because it went beyond animal welfare. Welfare laws may regulate suffering, but they do not stop it. They do not recognize what elephants need most: the right to live freely, on their own terms.
By enshrining elephants’ right to liberty, Ojai set a precedent rooted in justice. It said elephants are autonomous, emotionally complex beings with fundamental interests that must be legally protected. And in doing so, Ojai sent a message that the principles of liberty, equality, and compassion must extend beyond our species.
Building momentum
In the months and years since, we have drawn upon Ojai’s example in every conversation with lawmakers. The ordinance sparked an extraordinary ripple effect: elected officials and legislative staff from across the country reached out to share their support and express interest in pursuing similar legislation. For many, Ojai was the first time they had seriously considered the idea that elephants and other nonhuman animals deserve actual, enforceable legal rights. This engagement has deepened lawmakers’ understanding of why animal welfare laws, though important, are not sufficient to protect elephants from physical and psychological harm. Legislation takes time and persistence, and we are steadily building the relationships and networks that will lead to more laws like Ojai’s being passed in other jurisdictions.
Ojai showed that the conversation is shifting. That elected officials, when presented with the evidence of elephants’ autonomy and the moral urgency of their plight, are willing to act. It gave us proof, when speaking with officials in other cities and states, that rights-based legal protections for nonhuman animals aren’t theoretical, they’re possible. And it gave hope for the seventeen elephants still held captive in California zoos, and hundreds more across the US, that change is not only coming, but already here.
What comes next
Two years later, our movement is stronger than ever. Courts are grappling with the question of nonhuman rights in ways that would have been unthinkable a decade ago. In California, we continue to fight for elephant rights in court and in legislative bodies.
Ojai’s ordinance showed that justice for nonhuman animals is not a distant dream; it’s a growing reality. On this anniversary, I am filled with gratitude for the Ojai community, for Councilmember Leslie Rule who championed this cause, and for everyone who has joined us in saying that elephants deserve nothing less than to have their right to liberty recognized and protected—for them to finally experience freedom.
We will continue to carry Ojai’s message forward, city by city, state by state, until the day comes when all elephants can live freely as the autonomous beings they are.
Thank you for all your support,
Courtney Fern
Director of Government Relations, the NhRP
