Colorado Court Rules Elephants Barred from Seeking Zoo Release, Are Not Humans

A court in the American state of Colorado has ruled against an animal rights group seeking the release of five elephants from a zoo.

Lawyers for the group Nonhuman Rights Project were seeking to use a legal process designed for prisoners to dispute their imprisonment. A favorable ruling would have permitted the lawyers to dispute the animals’ detention at the zoo.

The elephants Missy, Kimba, Lucky, LouLou and Jambo live at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. The Nonhuman Rights Project’s final goal was to get them moved to an elephant sanctuary.

But the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that the legal process the group employed could not be used for the animals.

“…Because an elephant is not a person, the elephants here do not have standing to bring a habeas corpus claim,” the court said in the ruling. A habeas corpus claim usually asks a court for the release of a prisoner who says they are being illegally detained.

The decision follows a similar finding by a court in New York in 2022. Nonhuman Rights Project also brought that case. The legal action concerned Happy, an elephant at the Bronx Zoo.

The Colorado elephants were born in the wild in Africa. The rights group said the animals have shown signs of brain damage because the zoo is like a prison. It wanted the animals released to one of the two accredited elephant sanctuaries in the United States. The group said it does not believe the animals would survive in the wild.

The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo argued that moving the elephants might result in their placement with new animals. The Zoo said it could cause them unnecessary stress and would be cruel considering the age of the elephants. It said the five elephants are not used to being in large groups. And it argued that the elephants do not have the skills or desire to join one, based on observations of the animals.

The zoo welcomed the court’s ruling. But it also said it was disappointed that there had to be a legal fight over the issue. The zoo accused the Nonhuman Rights Project of “abusing court systems" to raise money.

The Nonhuman Rights Project said the latest ruling "perpetuates a clear injustice.” It predicted that future courts would reject the idea that only humans have a right to liberty.

“As with other social justice movements, early losses are expected,” the organization said in a statement. It added that current legal policy has permitted Missy, Kimba, Lucky, LouLou, and Jambo “to be relegated to a lifetime of mental and physical suffering.”

I’m Caty Weaver.

The Associated Press reported this story. Caty Weaver adapted it for VOA Learning English.

sanctuary – n. a refuge for wildlife where predators are controlled, and hunting is illegal

accredited –adj. officially approved by a body that carries out such approvals

stress –n. a state of tension or nervousness often caused by something troubling

perpetuate –n. to make perpetual or cause to last indefinitely

relegate – adj. to remove or dismiss to a less important place

◆ ◆ ◆

Word highlighting is estimated until aligned timings are added.