Dear John,

In May, the New York Court of Appeals granted [[link removed]] the Nonhuman Rights Project’s motion for permission to appeal in our legal fight to #FreeHappy [[link removed]] , marking the first time in history the highest court of any English-speaking jurisdiction will consider whether the right to liberty protected by habeas corpus may extend to a nonhuman being.

Right now the NhRP legal team is working nonstop on our brief, which lays out our arguments in support of Happy’s right to liberty and release from the Bronx Zoo to a sanctuary, including affidavits submitted by world-renowned elephant experts. This brief is due July 6th.

The Bronx Zoo and the Wildlife Conservation Society have until Aug. 21st to file a reply, to which we can file our own reply by Sept. 7th. We won’t know the date of oral arguments in Happy’s case until after this last filing deadline. We’re hoping the arguments will be in person and open to the public, COVID-19 public health guidelines permitting.

We know the long wait is difficult, especially given how every day that passes is another day Happy is unjustly deprived of her freedom and the company of other elephants. Thank you for your patience and continued support as we prepare for this next phase in Happy’s elephant rights litigation. Together, we’ve already made legal history for elephants and other nonhuman animals—with much more to come.

As always, we’ll keep you posted! Click here [[link removed]] for a sharable blog post about what’s coming up in the legal right to free Happy, which Earth.Org recently called [[link removed]] “a new legal frontier ... Regardless of the outcome, this case is monumental in terms of access to justice for animals.”

In other NhRP news:

*
For
belugas
and
other
cetaceans,
transfer
from
one
tank
to
another—especially
with
seaside
sanctuaries
on
the
horizon—is
nothing
to
celebrate.
Visit
our
blog
[[link removed]]
for
NhRP
Staff
Attorney
Jake
Davis’s
commentary
on
the
imprisonment
of
belugas
in
Marineland
and
Mystic
Aquarium.

*
Actress
and
activist
Mia
Farrow
recently
tweeted
in
support
of
Happy’s
release
from
the
Bronx
Zoo,
writing,
“It’s
cruel
and
immoral
to
keep
Happy
there
alone.
Everyone
knows
that
elephants
are
social
animals.
No
matter
how
much
money
you
make
by
displaying
her,
[it’s]
wrong.
Let
Happy
join
other
elephant
friends
at
a
sanctuary.”
To
like,
share,
or
thank
Mia
for
this
tweet,
click
here
[[link removed]]
.

*
Happy
and
other
nonhuman
beings
deserve
worlds
better
than
endless
imprisonment
in
exhibits.
The
New
York
Times
recently
published
a
powerful
essay
[[link removed]]
that
challenges
the
assumptions
and
(in
our
view,
increasingly
absurd
[[link removed]]
)
claims
made
by
modern
zoos
and
points
to
a
more
just
way
forward,
while
Mongabay
asks,
with
reference
to
Happy’s
case,
“
Do
we
love
elephants
enough
to
let
them
live
free?
[[link removed]]
”
You
can
help
raise
awareness
of
the
plight
of
elephants
in
zoos
by
reading
and
sharing
these
articles.

*
Thank
you
to
everyone
who
has
voted
for
the
NhRP
on
My
Giving
Circle
so
we
can
share
in
$500,000
in
grants!
Because
of
your
tremendous
support,
we’re
currently
in
the
#1
spot.
Help
us
stay
there
by
voting
once
a
week
[[link removed]]
through
June
30th.

We are grateful to have you among our supporters, John. Thanks for reading, and we’ll be in touch again soon with further updates on our clients and how you can help.

All best wishes,

Lauren Choplin
Communications Director, the NhRP

DONATE NOW » [[link removed]]


The Nonhuman Rights Project
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Coral Springs, FL 33076
United States
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