Dear John,

Good news! Reasons to be Cheerful—an editorial project founded by musician and artist David Byrne—has just published a feature story on the global movement to transform nonhuman animals from legal “things” with no rights to legal “persons” with fundamental rights. The story begins with our historic fight for Happy’s legal personhood and right to liberty. As Michaela Haas writes:

Expanding the definition of legal personhood is not at all unprecedented. The U.S. has done it many times over, to include slaves, women, children, even corporations. [NhRP President] Steven Wise believes that civil rights for nonhuman animals are the next leap forward in this ongoing expansion of human-level legal protections.

As we wait for a hearing date to be scheduled, you can help raise awareness of and voice your support for our mission by sharing the article and, if you’re on social media, commenting on Reasons to be Cheerful’s Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter posts.   

In other NhRP news:

• A retired South African judge, acclaimed for his human rights work and hailed by Nelson Mandela as “one of South Africa’s new heroes,” has submitted an amicus curiae (“friend of the court”) brief in support of our habeas corpus petition on behalf of Happy. To learn about and download the brief, read this new blog post by NhRP President Steven M. Wise. 
   
• In October of 1970, a baby orca was enduring the second month of what would become over half a century of imprisonment in the smallest orca tank in North America. There, “day in and day out, she floats, she performs tricks for her food, she attempts to escape the harassment of her dolphin tank mates, she calls out to other orcas who cannot hear her, cannot answer.” Read the third and final part of “Why We Fight for Nonhuman Rights: Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut’s Story” here, and follow the work of our friends at the Earth Law Center and Lummi Nation to learn more about efforts to free Sk’aliCh’elh-tenaut (also known as Lolita), including how you can help.
   
• “If we have so much trouble acknowledging human suffering, then doing so for nonhuman animals is even more of a challenge.” In a new guest post on our blog, practicing psychologist, trained researcher, and longtime NhRP supporter Dr. Peggy Rothbaum considers the complex question of how to change minds about nonhuman rights. Read Dr. Rothbaum’s post here.   

Thank you for reading, John, and we hope you have a good rest of the week! 

Lauren Choplin
Communications Director, the NhRP