The first three months of 2015 have been a busy and exciting time for the NhRP!
We have a number of important updates we'd like to share with you:
Lawsuit Re-filed on Behalf of Hercules & Leo: We have re-filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of captive chimpanzees Hercules and Leo, who are being used in locomotion research at Stony Brook University. Last year, an appellate court in Brooklyn dismissed our appeal of the lower court's decision on the grounds that we lacked the right to appeal; rather than use valuable time to appeal their dismissal, we decided to re-file their case in the Supreme Court of New York County in Manhattan. The court documents re-filed in their case are available here.
Updates in Tommy's and Kiko's Cases:
In Tommy's case, we filed a Motion for Leave to Appeal to the Court of Appeals directly to the New York Court of Appeals. We took this step after an appellate court denied our motion for permission to appeal to the Court of Appeals on January 30th.
In Kiko's case, we filed a motion for permission to appeal to the Court of Appeals with the appellate court in Rochester, NY. We argue that the court, in their January 2, 2015 decision, erred when it held that "habeas corpus does not lie where a petitioner seeks only to change the conditions of confinement rather than the confinement itself" as this statement contradicts numerous decisions of the New York courts over the last two hundred years.
NhRP at TED2015: Steve was a featured speaker at the TED2015 conference in Vancouver, Canada, last week as part of a session called "Radical Reframe." As soon as a video becomes available, we'll be sure to share the link. In the meantime, here's a recap courtesy of the TED blog.
NhRP Op-Ed on the Importance of Nonhuman Rights for Elephants: Recently the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus announced that it would no longer use elephants in its circuses. In an op-ed published March 10th in the Washington Post, NhRP Executive Director Natalie Prosin comments on Ringling's decision and addresses the issue that has been and continues to be at the root of the exploitation of elephants and other nonhuman animals: the fact that they are all considered merely legal property.
Animal Personhood Debate at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.: NhRP President Steven M. Wise argued in support of nonhuman animal personhood in a debate hosted by the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies on Feb. 11th at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. You can watch a recording of the debate here.
The 2015 Voiceless Animal Law Lecture Series: Steve is the keynote speaker for the 2015 Voiceless Animal Law Lecture Series in Australia, which will tour nine venues across the country. The lectures are free and open to the public. If you'd like to attend, find your local venue and register here.
And finally, we're excited to share with you this new short animated video about the NhRP's mission-the first in a series of videos designed to help members of the public understand why legal personhood for great apes, elephants, dolphins, and whales is so important. Many thanks to Matthew Kroh (Animator), Patrick Sehn (Producer), Suzanne Meyer (VO Talent), and Mike Rajakovic (Audio Engineer) for contributing their talents to this project. Please share far and wide!
Thank you for your ongoing support for the Nonhuman Rights Project's work.
Lawsuit Re-filed on Behalf of Hercules & Leo: We have re-filed a petition for a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of captive chimpanzees Hercules and Leo, who are being used in locomotion research at Stony Brook University. Last year, an appellate court in Brooklyn dismissed our appeal of the lower court's decision on the grounds that we lacked the right to appeal; rather than use valuable time to appeal their dismissal, we decided to re-file their case in the Supreme Court of New York County in Manhattan. The court documents re-filed in their case are available here.
Updates in Tommy's and Kiko's Cases:
In Tommy's case, we filed a Motion for Leave to Appeal to the Court of Appeals directly to the New York Court of Appeals. We took this step after an appellate court denied our motion for permission to appeal to the Court of Appeals on January 30th.
In Kiko's case, we filed a motion for permission to appeal to the Court of Appeals with the appellate court in Rochester, NY. We argue that the court, in their January 2, 2015 decision, erred when it held that "habeas corpus does not lie where a petitioner seeks only to change the conditions of confinement rather than the confinement itself" as this statement contradicts numerous decisions of the New York courts over the last two hundred years.
NhRP at TED2015: Steve was a featured speaker at the TED2015 conference in Vancouver, Canada, last week as part of a session called "Radical Reframe." As soon as a video becomes available, we'll be sure to share the link. In the meantime, here's a recap courtesy of the TED blog.
NhRP Op-Ed on the Importance of Nonhuman Rights for Elephants: Recently the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus announced that it would no longer use elephants in its circuses. In an op-ed published March 10th in the Washington Post, NhRP Executive Director Natalie Prosin comments on Ringling's decision and addresses the issue that has been and continues to be at the root of the exploitation of elephants and other nonhuman animals: the fact that they are all considered merely legal property.
Animal Personhood Debate at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.: NhRP President Steven M. Wise argued in support of nonhuman animal personhood in a debate hosted by the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies on Feb. 11th at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. You can watch a recording of the debate here.
The 2015 Voiceless Animal Law Lecture Series: Steve is the keynote speaker for the 2015 Voiceless Animal Law Lecture Series in Australia, which will tour nine venues across the country. The lectures are free and open to the public. If you'd like to attend, find your local venue and register here.
And finally, we're excited to share with you this new short animated video about the NhRP's mission-the first in a series of videos designed to help members of the public understand why legal personhood for great apes, elephants, dolphins, and whales is so important. Many thanks to Matthew Kroh (Animator), Patrick Sehn (Producer), Suzanne Meyer (VO Talent), and Mike Rajakovic (Audio Engineer) for contributing their talents to this project. Please share far and wide!
Thank you for your ongoing support for the Nonhuman Rights Project's work.
ALDF
launched our Undercover Investigations Unit to expose animal abuse at puppy
mills, exotic animal shows, and factory farms and slaughterhouses, and to gather
the evidence ALDF attorneys need to fight for their legal protection. For
example, ALDF obtained external surveillance pictures of hen enclosures for our
successful lawsuit against a Bay Area egg-producer. But an undercover
investigation inside the facility would have given a fuller picture, and our
case may have gone much further.
We
need your support to give our brave investigators the resources they need to
gather the evidence to stop animal abusers. We face challenges, like
corporations pushing “ag gag” laws designed to outlaw investigations of animal
abuse and other crimes at their facilities. But ALDF is the premiere
organization fighting to protect the lives and advance the interests of animals
through the legal system and we will fight to expose animal abuse. And we need
your help.
If ALDF
and our supporters don’t speak out for animals, who will?
Stephen
tells me ALDF members are absolutely dedicated
to fighting animal abuse and supporting ALDF. I am too. Help me and my
undercover investigations team expose the horrific cruelty animals suffer—and
protect the billions of animals suffering behind closed doors.
