The Great Irony of Animal “Rights”
The great irony of the animal rights movement is there is still only one species that has any rights at all: humans. But the Nonhuman Rights Project is setting out to change that.
The ‘Animal Rights’ Paradox
How’s the animal rights movement doing? If you rate it by the simple question “How many animals have rights?” you’d have to say “Not very well.” Call it the animal rights paradox.
At Sundance, a Triumph for "Unlocking the Cage"
Premiered at Sundance, the movie follows attorney Steven M. Wise as he argues to a high court judges that chimpanzee Tommy has the capacity for legal rights and should be set free and sent to a sanctuary.
For Chimps, the End of Vivisection, Almost
For six years, Hercules and Leo have endured experiments like having electrodes inserted into their muscles so that researchers at Stony Brook University can study the…
Hercules and Leo: Judge’s Decision
Justice Barbara Jaffe at the hearing for Hercules and Leo July 30th: Justice Barbara Jaffe has issued her ruling on whether the two chimpanzees held captive…
Chimps Cooking … and Starving
How do you put together these three items in the latest news about chimpanzees? For the first time ever, a judge in the United States orders…
Hercules & Leo Hearing Wrap-Up
Here’s a round-up of news reports about the court hearing yesterday regarding chimpanzees Hercules and Leo, who are being imprisoned at Stony Brook University for use…
Chimpanzees v. New York State
This week, the Nonhuman Rights Project goes to court to argue before a judge that Hercules and Leo, two chimpanzees being held captive for locomotion experiments…
Update on Habeas Corpus Chimp Ruling
Justice Jaffe has amended the order she issued yesterday in a case brought by the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP), regarding two chimpanzees, Hercules and Leo, who…
In Historic Ruling, Court Recognizes Two Chimps as Legal Persons
For the first time in history, a judge has granted a writ of habeas corpus on behalf of a nonhuman animal. This afternoon, in a case…
Tommy the Chimpanzee’s Case Will Move to New York’s Highest Court
The New York State Appellate Court, Third Division, has issued its decision in the case of Tommy the chimpanzee, and has essentially opened the door for…
Tommy’s Owner Speaks
It was probably a good idea for Patrick Lavery, the “owner” of Tommy the chimpanzee, not to make an appearance at the appellate court in Albany,…
Inside the Courtroom at Tommy’s Appeal
It was a packed courtroom at the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, for the Matter of the Nonhuman Rights Project v. Lavery, 518336 – better…
Appeals Court to Hear Chimpanzee Lawsuit
Tommy the chimpanzee is headed back to court. He won’t be there in person, but the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) is appealing a December ruling of…
Nonhuman Rights Project on ‘Colbert Report’
Legal rights for animals?? Expect Stephen Colbert to be suitably shocked, horrified and appalled when, in character as the classic right-wing bloviator, he welcomes Steven…
Chimpanzee Personalities Almost Identical to Humans
A new study of captive chimpanzees concludes that the personality traits of chimpanzees are almost identical to those of humans. I asked psychologist Sam Gosling of…
Chatting with Charles Siebert
Charles Siebert’s New York Times story about the Nonhuman Rights Project has stirred lots of interest around the country in last few days. Among other scoops,…
Unlocking the Cage
For the last two years, Academy Award-winning movie maker D.A. Pennebaker and Oscar nominee Chris Hegedus have been following the work of Steven M. Wise and…
Q & A with Steven M. Wise
Steven M. Wise, President of the Nonhuman Rights Project President, answers some of the questions we’ve been receiving in the wake of the cover story in the New York Times magazine.
First: “Why can’t a humane society or local authorities just go in and rescue those poor chimpanzees?”
Our First Plaintiff
Our plaintiff did not walk into our office; he couldn’t. When we last saw him, he was being held captive in solitary confinement in a small, dank, cement cage in a dark shed in temperatures 40 degrees below his native land.