Dear John,

Thank you to everyone who joined us this past weekend outside the Bronx Zoo for our rally to #FreeHappy! Together, we sent a strong message: It’s wrong to imprison elephants in zoos, especially alone. Watch Their Turn’s coverage of the rally here.    

Please join us again on May 18th as New York’s highest court will hear arguments in our elephant client Happy’s case, which The Atlantic has called “the most important animal-rights case of the 21st century.” 

JOIN US IN PERSON: On May 18th, we’ll hold a pre-hearing rally at noon outside the courthouse in Albany, where you can show your support for Happy’s right to liberty and hear remarks from the NhRP’s founder and president Steven Wise and featured guests. Then, head inside the courthouse to watch at 2 p.m. as New York’s highest court considers the legal issue of nonhuman animal rights for the first time. Because of the court’s Covid-19 protocols, seating inside the courtroom is very limited. We’ll be projecting the Court’s livestream of the hearing in Academy Park, which is right next to the courthouse. Afterwards, the NhRP’s attorneys will return to Academy Park to give post-hearing remarks. Learn more and RSVP for this event here.

JOIN US VIRTUALLY: If you can’t make it to Albany, we'll be sharing the Court’s livestream of the arguments at freehappynow.com. Stay tuned for details!

The NhRP will argue that the Bronx Zoo and the Wildlife Conservation Society, which manages the zoo, have unlawfully deprived Happy of her freedom, imprisoning her alone in an exhibit that is “too small to meet the needs of Happy or any elephant,” as elephant expert Dr. Joyce Poole has written in support of Happy’s release.

The Bronx Zoo and the Wildlife Conservation Society will argue that Happy “is happy where she is” and should remain a rightless thing.

We look forward to appearing before the New York Court of Appeals, which will have the chance to right the tremendous wrong of Happy’s 45 years of imprisonment in the Bronx and finally bring Happy’s legal status into the 21st century by recognizing her legal personhood and right to liberty.

Thank you for being part of this urgently needed change in how nonhuman animals like Happy are viewed and treated under the law. We hope to see you on the 18th! 

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Courtney Fern
Director of Government Relations, the NhRP