Animal Rights Group Seeks Supreme Court Review in Chimpanzee Case

The Nonhuman Rights Project is preparing to appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court after the Michigan Court of Appeals denied their request for a hearing on the alleged unlawful imprisonment of six chimpanzees at the DeYoung Family Zoo in the Upper Peninsula.

 

Last week, the appellate court unanimously ruled that chimpanzees do not possess legal status akin to humans, thereby rejecting the group's argument that these primates should be granted habeas corpus rights.

 

“Chimpanzees are our closest living nonhuman relatives,” stated Jake Davis, an attorney for the Nonhuman Rights Project. “We share almost, depending on who you ask, 99% of our DNA with chimps. Imagine if you woke up every single morning and you were confined to a cage and you had evolved to need fresh air and sunlight and you weren’t even guaranteed access to that on a daily basis.”

 

The organization aims to relocate the chimpanzees to a nature preserve that more closely resembles their natural habitat.

 

In the court's opinion, Judge Matthew Ackerman wrote, “They are not ‘persons’ possessing the ‘personal liberty’ interest that habeas vindicates. They are not analogous to slaves or women—both categories comprised human beings recognized as ‘persons’ in our legal tradition.” He further emphasized that animals, including chimpanzees, are treated as property under common law.

 

Ackerman also noted that only the Michigan Supreme Court has the authority to alter this common law standard.

 

The six chimpanzees reside at the privately owned DeYoung Family Zoo in Menominee County. The zoo has not responded to requests for comment.

 

The Nonhuman Rights Project remains hopeful that the state's highest court will recognize the autonomy and rights of these chimpanzees, setting a precedent for future cases involving animal personhood.