By: Roy Wang

Happy the elephant has stayed in the Bronx zoo for four decades, but recently, an animal rights organization tried and failed, to get Happy recognized as a human to secure rights for her to leave captivity.

According to msn.com, the decision comes after years of discussion, beginning in 2018 when the animal rights organization, the Nonhuman Rights Project sued the Bronx zoo for the captivity of Happy, whom they argue should qualify as an autonomous person, and, by extension, qualify for the same protections against imprisonment as humans. New York’s top court ruled 5-2 against the claim of the Nonhuman Rights Project that Happy was being illegally held in the Bronx zoo and was entitled to the same rights as humans, stating that, while elephants are “intelligent beings deserving of proper care and compassion,” they could not be considered a person.

After the court’s ruling, the Nonhuman Rights Project released a statement expressing their disappointment in the outcome of the ruling, and also praised the two judges who went against the court’s decision, Judges Jenny Rivera and Rowan D. Wilson, for dissenting against the majority.

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