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Nonhuman Rights Project

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  Courtney Fern, the NhRP · [email protected]
June 5, 2025 at 7:49 PM

Urgent action needed for Billy and Tina

Contact the L.A. City Council President Dear John,  Today I’m writing with an urgent action you can take to help elephants Billy and Tina find sanctuary.  As we make clear in our ongoing litigation on Billy and Tina’s behalf, they remain in the constructive custody of the City of Los Angeles and t…
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  The NhRP · [email protected]
May 30, 2025 at 7:11 PM

Billy and Tina’s stories are what injustice looks like.

Sanctuary was within reach. Instead, they were sent to another zoo. Dear John xxxxxx,  Billy was just a baby when his life was stolen. Born in the wilds of Malaysia in 1985, he should have grown up in a close-knit elephant family—learning, exploring, and roaming freely. Instead, he was torn from h…
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  Jenny via the NhRP · [email protected]
May 28, 2025 at 11:31 PM

I provide sanctuary to chimpanzees in need. Here's why I support the NhRP.

A guest email from one of our first volunteers Jenny Desmond was one of the Nonhuman Rights Project’s first volunteers. She went on to co-found Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection in West Africa and helped provide care to 66 chimpanzees used in medical research and then abandoned by the New Y…
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  The NhRP · [email protected]
May 27, 2025 at 7:41 PM

“The hearing was about to begin, and I knew I was about to witness history.”

Looking back on an extraordinary moment of legal progress for nonhuman animals Dear John xxxxxx,   Ten years ago today, New York Supreme Court Justice Barbara Jaffe became the first judge in history to hold a habeas corpus hearing to determine the lawfulness of a nonhuman animal’s imprisonment. Dur…
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  Courtney Fern, the NhRP · [email protected]
May 23, 2025 at 6:03 PM

A day we stood together for animal rights—and how it moved me in ways I didn’t expect

A message of gratitude to the NhRP community. You show up for our clients even when it’s difficult. It was a freezing February day in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 2019. The NhRP’s Executive Director, Communications Director, and I had gathered outside an entertainment venue where we were holding a…
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  Christopher, the NhRP · [email protected]
May 22, 2025 at 2:29 AM

Update: Lawsuit on behalf of Billy and Tina

Our legal case for Billy and Tina will continue with full force. Court Case Update: Billy and TinaDear John,  Yesterday, I shared with you the story of the Nonhuman Rights Project’s efforts to file a habeas corpus petition on behalf of elephants Billy and Tina—efforts that revealed how the law sy…
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  The NhRP · [email protected]
May 20, 2025 at 9:16 PM

An urgent message from our Executive Director

Dear John,   Since this past Friday, the Nonhuman Rights Project has been attempting to file a habeas corpus petition seeking the right to liberty for Billy and Tina, two elephants held in captivity in the Los Angeles Zoo. As many NhRP supporters know, Billy and Tina should be released to an elep…
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  Monica Miller, the NhRP · [email protected]
May 18, 2025 at 4:18 PM

Correction: The day we stood for Happy

Three years ago today, I stood before the New York Court of Appeals for Happy's hearing. Correction: The first sentence was missing from the email we sent a few moments ago. This is the complete version with the full context provided. Our apologies!  Three years ago today, the New York Court of A…
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  Monica Miller, the NhRP · [email protected]
May 18, 2025 at 4:02 PM

The day we stood for Happy

Three years ago today, I stood before the New York Court of Appeals for Happy's hearing. Below are Monica Miller's reflections on this historic hearing. Monica is the NhRP attorney who argued on Happy's behalf before the panel of seven judges. Our fight for Happy's freedom is ongoing.   Dear John…
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  Free to Be Elephants · [email protected]
May 14, 2025 at 8:04 PM

Help free Tasha after 45 years in captivity

She’s waited decades for justice. She deserves freedom, not another winter on concrete. Please sign this petition if you want the Pittsburgh Zoo to free five African elephants from captivity and release them to an accredited elephant sanctuary!   Dear John,  Natasha—also known as Tasha—has spent …
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  Kelly Holt, the NhRP · [email protected]
May 12, 2025 at 5:17 PM

What happened to Happy?

More than 50 years ago, she was taken. Her herd never saw her again. Dear John,   As Happy’s advocates, we often speak about the immeasurable trauma and stress she’s endured—a young calf, stolen from the wild, separated from her family, and forced into captivity. But there’s more to this story. T…
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  Christopher Berry, the NhRP · [email protected]
May 8, 2025 at 11:01 PM

Honoring judicial courage

How a judge made legal history for animals seven years ago today Dear John,   Seven years ago today, something extraordinary happened—a type of legal victory that came not as an outright win, but in the form of a concurring opinion. Judge Eugene Fahey of the New York Court of Appeals became the fi…
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  Margaret via the NhRP · [email protected]
May 6, 2025 at 8:46 PM

Why I became a monthly donor to the NhRP

An NhRP supporter shares her perspective A guest email from an NhRP supporter Dear John,  My name is Margaret Hope. I’m an NhRP supporter who lives in Colorado.  This year I decided to become a monthly donor to the NhRP because I keep seeing injustice after injustice inflicted upon nonhuman animal…
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  The NhRP · [email protected]
May 4, 2025 at 8:01 PM

Checking in on your communication preferences

Let us know what kind of emails you want to receive this month!  Dear John,  As we celebrate the Nonhuman Rights Project’s 30th anniversary this month and hold our spring fundraising campaign, we want to ensure that the NhRP emails you receive are tailored to what matters most to you.   Along with …
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  The NhRP · [email protected]
May 2, 2025 at 8:09 PM

Tommy and Kiko's stories

The lives of the NhRP’s first clients show why nonhuman rights are so important. Two chimpanzees, 200 miles apart in New York State. Both an ocean away from where they should be.   They’ve never crossed paths, yet they entered the world the same unnatural way: opening their eyes not to fresh air,…
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  Lauren Choplin, the NhRP · [email protected]
May 1, 2025 at 4:46 PM

What we’ll be doing this month (and how you can help today) 🌱

Looking back on how the NhRP and our supporters have sowed the seeds of justice for nonhuman animals Dear John,   Thirty years ago, our founder planted a simple, yet transformative idea: nonhuman animals are entitled not just to our compassion but to actual, enforceable legal rights. What began as…
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  The NhRP · [email protected]
April 30, 2025 at 12:44 AM

Challenging a human-centric view of the law

The latest wave of international legal developments in the domain of nonhuman rights Dear John,   Earlier this year, another Argentine court recognized nonhuman animals as rights-holders, and a new law in New Zealand did the same for a mountain. In a new post on the NhRP blog, NhRP Senior Staff A…
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  The NhRP · [email protected]
April 22, 2025 at 6:30 PM

A just world is a sustainable world.

What does sustainability mean without justice? Dear John,  Every April, we celebrate Earth Day by honoring the beauty and power of our planet. Today, people across the world are asking a vital question: How can we do better by the Earth?  Any answer to this question would be incomplete without ac…
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  Elizabeth Stein, the NhRP · [email protected]
April 21, 2025 at 12:04 AM

Ten years ago today

Reflections from our Litigation Director Dear John,   Ten years ago today, a judge showed extraordinary courage in response to one of our first habeas corpus petitions on behalf of a nonhuman animal.   Donate today to help celebrate 30 years of the NhRP’s unique legal fight for nonhuman rights.  O…
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  Courtney Fern, the NhRP · [email protected]
April 18, 2025 at 5:33 PM

Take the next step for Minnie the elephant

The USDA has the authority to act on Minnie’s behalf. Join with other NhRP supporters in urging it to do so. Confined day after day, night after night to a small, barren stall in a barn with concrete flooring and no soft substrate to stand or lie on.   And for years before that, forced to perform…
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  Free To Be Elephants · [email protected]
April 11, 2025 at 8:17 PM

A mother, exploited. A story worth sharing.

The zoo calls it conservation, but for Ndula, it’s a lifetime of suffering. Dear John,   Ndlulamitsi, also known as Ndula, was born free in South Africa’s Kruger National Park—a place where elephants roam a vast landscape, raise their young in tight-knit families, and lead rich emotional lives.  …
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  The NhRP · [email protected]
April 9, 2025 at 1:28 AM

A law that sets a dangerous precedent

What we're arguing in Utah Dear John,   In January, we filed a lawsuit that challenges the constitutionality of a Utah law, H.B. 249, that strips courts of their authority to recognize the legal rights of certain nonhuman entities, including nonhuman animals, land, bodies of water, and artificial …
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  The NhRP · [email protected]
April 4, 2025 at 8:02 PM

Family-friendly? Far from it. A dispatch from Michigan

What happened to two chimpanzees at the DeYoung Family Zoo Roadside zoos, accredited zoos, and circuses market themselves as places for families—while destroying the family bonds of the nonhuman animals they hold captive. Donate today to help fund our Michigan chimpanzee rights case and create a w…
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  Free To Be Elephants · [email protected]
April 1, 2025 at 9:33 PM

Meet Tembo.

She’s spent nearly 50 years in captivity at the Cameron Park Zoo in Waco, Texas, and now she lives alone. Dear John,   Tembo was born in the wilds of Mozambique, where she would have grown up surrounded by her familial herd, exploring vast landscapes, learning from her elders, and forming deep, li…
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  Jake Davis, the NhRP · [email protected]
March 25, 2025 at 6:01 PM

What I saw at a roadside zoo in Michigan

Observations from my visit to the DeYoung Family Zoo, where seven chimpanzees are deprived of their freedom. Dear John,   Several months before we filed our lawsuit seeking the right to liberty for seven chimpanzees held captive in the DeYoung Family Zoo in Wallace, Michigan, I paid a visit to thi…
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  Courtney Fern, the NhRP · [email protected]
March 24, 2025 at 11:33 PM

Minnie the elephant

Update and action alert Dear John,  The USDA recently uploaded an inspection report for the Commerford Zoo–a Connecticut-based traveling circus where an elephant named Minnie (pictured above) has been held in captivity since 1976.  As a self-aware, autonomous individual, Minnie should be roaming the…
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  The Nonhuman Rights Project · [email protected]
March 21, 2025 at 9:11 PM

Preparing for our oral argument on behalf of captive chimpanzees in Michigan

A message from Senior Staff Attorney, Monica Miller, as she prepares for a hearing in Michigan this year on behalf of the DeYoung Prisoners. Dear John, Right now, Senior Staff Attorney at the NhRP, Monica Miller, is deep in preparation for a case that could make legal history. In the coming months, …
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  The Nonhuman Rights Project · [email protected]
March 19, 2025 at 8:32 PM

The fight for a justice system that does justice.

When courts refuse to rule on matters of civil liberty, a dangerous legal precedent is set. Here’s what you need to know. Dear John,  Our Executive Director’s latest blog highlights a disturbing truth: the justice system is failing to uphold one of its most basic principles—protecting liberty.   …
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  Free To Be Elephants · [email protected]
March 5, 2025 at 10:51 PM

Ripped from the wild and shuffled between zoos. Titan deserves better.

Titan’s story is one of loss, but together, we can help change the future for elephants like him. Dear John,  Titan was born in Eswatini, where he roamed freely with his family, exploring vast landscapes as elephants are meant to. That life was stolen from him.  In 2016, at just seven years old, T…
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  The NhRP · [email protected]
March 1, 2025 at 12:46 AM

In the words of our supporters

Their reasons for becoming monthly donors to the NhRP Hi John! We thought you might be interested to learn why fellow NhRP supporters decided to become monthly donors this week in celebration of our 30th anniversary. You can find the words of some of these new monthly donors below (shared with the…
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  Lauren Choplin, the NhRP · [email protected]
February 27, 2025 at 12:12 AM

You're part of a movement that will continue to evolve and grow for generations.

One important way you can help deepen compassion and respect for the freedom of nonhuman beings Dear John,   This year, the Nonhuman Rights Project turns 30! Three decades on, we remain the only organization in the US dedicated solely to securing legal rights for nonhuman animals. Our work isn’t ju…
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  Courtney Fern, the NhRP · [email protected]
February 21, 2025 at 9:43 PM

Can you take one quick action for Happy and Patty?

A follow-up to our email from yesterday regarding the letter the NYCBA sent to city officials regarding elephants Happy and Patty Hi John! Thank you for reading my email yesterday regarding the letter the New York City Bar Association sent to city officials, urging them to exercise their authority…
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  Courtney Fern, the NhRP · [email protected]
February 20, 2025 at 10:01 PM

NYC Bar Association calls for Happy and Patty’s immediate release to a sanctuary

Dear John,  We’re writing to share a significant development in our ongoing efforts to secure freedom for Happy and Patty, the two elephants who are each being held alone in captivity in the Bronx Zoo. The New York City Bar Association has sent a powerful letter to key city officials urging them t…
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  The NhRP · [email protected]
February 15, 2025 at 3:33 PM

Our founder

A new video tribute to Steve’s life and legacy Thirty years ago this year, an animal protection lawyer named Steven M. Wise founded the Nonhuman Rights Project. “I had concluded that there was a powerful structural bias in the law against protecting even the most fundamental interests of nonhuman …
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  Free To Be Elephants · [email protected]
February 14, 2025 at 12:16 AM

Emily has suffered for 57 years—it’s time to set her free.

Her story matters, and it needs to be widely known. Emily was robbed of her freedom and has endured more suffering than any elephant should ever have to. Dear John,  For 57 years Emily has been denied the life she was meant to live. A wild-born Asian elephant, she was stolen from her family as a ba…
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  Courtney Fern, the NhRP · [email protected]
February 7, 2025 at 9:40 PM

We wouldn't ordinarily send a Super Bowl email ...

An action for Mari and Vaigai Dear John,   It’s Super Bowl weekend–which means the Honolulu Zoo is again using elephants Mari and Vaigai in a marketing gimmick to “predict” the winner and provide entertainment to zoo patrons and members of the community. Run a Google search for “Honolulu Zoo elepha…
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  Elizabeth Stein, the NhRP · [email protected]
February 6, 2025 at 1:00 AM

Our next step in our Colorado elephant rights case

How we're responding to a court opinion that's wrong and dangerous Petition filed in Colorado elephant rights caseZoos have a vested interest in elephants remaining legal things with no rights, and they have vastly more resources than we do. If you can, please donate today to help strengthen and g…
See More from Elizabeth Stein, the NhRP
  The Nonhuman Rights Project · [email protected]
January 30, 2025 at 9:35 PM

New lawsuit: NhRP sues Utah over unconstitutional anti-rights law

The law strips the authority of courts to recognize the legal rights of nonhuman animals and other nonhuman entities Dear John,   In 2024, the Utah legislature passed a bill, H.B. 249, that categorically strips the authority of courts to recognize the legal rights or duties of certain nonhuman entit…
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  Christopher Berry, the NhRP · [email protected]
January 25, 2025 at 4:01 PM

Exciting announcement: Welcome our new Staff Attorney, Rebecca Garverman

We are thrilled to announce the expansion of our legal team and our impact for animals with the addition of our newest team member, Rebecca. Dear John,  We’re thrilled to announce a significant milestone for our organization: the expansion of our legal team with the addition of Rebecca Garverman as…
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  Christopher Berry via the NhRP · [email protected]
January 22, 2025 at 3:09 AM

The Court has ruled in our Colorado elephant rights case

Our statement and how you can help Court case update: Colorado Dear John,   Today, the Colorado Supreme Court issued an opinion in our elephant rights case on behalf of Missy, Kimba, Lucky, LouLou, and Jambo–five elephants held captive in the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. As we told the news media that re…
See More from Christopher Berry via the NhRP
  Free To Be Elephants · [email protected]
January 16, 2025 at 8:31 PM

Meet Groucho.

Groucho wakes up every day to the same small exhibit at the Denver Zoo. He’s suffered in captivity for decades. It’s time to demand freedom for Groucho and other captive elephants. Groucho’s life is a heartbreaking example of the harms of captivity. Born free in India in 1970, he was taken from th…
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  Monica Miller, the NhRP · [email protected]
January 14, 2025 at 5:02 PM

Reflections from the lead attorney on our chimpanzee rights case

A member of our legal team since 2013, Monica argued before New York’s highest court on behalf of Happy the elephant. This year she’ll argue for chimpanzees’ right to liberty in Michigan. It was 2018, and a documentary about the Nonhuman Rights Project, Unlocking the Cage, had just been nominate…
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  Courtney Fern, the NhRP · [email protected]
January 9, 2025 at 9:11 PM

Honoring the lives of elephants lost in captivity

You’re invited to join us for the International Candlelight Vigil for Elephants on January 11th. Dear John,   On January 11th, we invite you to participate in the International Candlelight Vigil for Elephants, a global day of remembrance to honor the elephants who tragically passed away in captivit…
See More from Courtney Fern, the NhRP
  The NhRP · [email protected]
December 31, 2024 at 8:31 PM

Louie’s Story: From the Other Side of the Bars

Louie doesn’t know what it’s like to live freely in a forest ... Louie doesn’t know what it’s like to live freely in a forest—to enjoy flashes of warm sun and the soft rustle of leaves. It’s unlikely that Louie remembers what it feels like to lay in the comfort of his mother’s arms. His first memo…
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  The NhRP · [email protected]
December 31, 2024 at 2:47 PM

⏰ Hit snooze? Not today—your gift will be doubled! ☀️

Time’s running out—can you chip in today? The holidays might be winding down, but for nonhuman animals, the fight for freedom continues.  We’re very close to reaching our goal for our end-of-year giving campaign, but we’re not there yet, and today is your last chance to make a gift that will go tw…
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  Courtney, the NhRP · [email protected]
December 30, 2024 at 5:03 PM

Advocacy in the new year!

Your support has been vital and we're ready to reach more milestones in 2025. Dear John,   As the year draws to a close, I want to personally thank you for the critical role you’ve played in our fight for justice for nonhuman animals. Whether you attended rallies, signed petitions, shared our cause…
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  Peggy Cusack, the NhRP · [email protected]
December 28, 2024 at 4:31 PM

Why we work here (and for the animals)

Our purpose and our principles Dear John,   At the Nonhuman Rights Project, every member of our team chose to work for this organization because the NhRP’s mission and goals–securing legal rights for nonhuman animals–align with our own personal values and goals. The work is a part of who we are. W…
See More from Peggy Cusack, the NhRP
  The NhRP · [email protected]
December 26, 2024 at 4:01 PM

Looking forward to 2025!

We have many exciting initiatives ahead of us in the new year. Would you like a sneak peek? Dear John,   What an incredible year it’s been—because of you.   All donations are tripled today only!  Your generosity and belief in our mission have driven the Nonhuman Rights Project to make tremendous pr…
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  Christopher, the NhRP · [email protected]
December 24, 2024 at 5:02 PM

Wishing you a joyous holiday season

Thank you for helping us build a brighter and more just future! Dear John,  As we close out another incredible year, I want to take a moment to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your steadfast support of the Nonhuman Rights Project. One voice alone may struggle to challenge injustice, but …
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  The NhRP · [email protected]
December 23, 2024 at 7:01 PM

An orca's story

With the right to liberty, an imprisoned nonhuman animal's whole world can change. As I swim in familiar waters full of rocks, tides, kelp, and natural seawater, learning its complex rhythms and songs, the recent past begins to feel like a distant memory. The never-ending reality that was once m…
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