US court could give chimpanzees rights as persons
Chimpanzees will receive special legal rights recognising that they are “autonomous and self-determining” beings, according to a lawyer who is leading a US court fight on behalf of two chimps, who vowed that “it’s just a matter of time” before they get the status they deserve.
Professor Steven Wise, president of the Nonhuman Rights Project, is leading a high-profile court case in New York – due to culminate later month – to secure the release of two chimps, Hercules and Leo, held at the Stony Brook University in New York.