Happy has lived at the Bronx Zoo in New York City for over 40 years. According to the animal rights organization Nonhuman Rights Group, the elephant is imprisoned and happy – just like people – have the right to freedom.
The New York Supreme Court does not agree. Five of the seven judges concluded that elephants have no human rights. Two judges disagreed, the New York Times wrote.
“Although elephants are so capable, we cannot agree to the request to grant the happy human rights,” the judges wrote in the ruling. One of the judges who disagreed wrote that Happy was “trapped in an unnatural environment that prevents her from living the life of an independent elephant.
Hope for the future
In addition to Happy, the Nonhuman Rights Group has also attempted to free the animals from a California zoo. In response, the group focuses primarily on the judges who voted against the ruling. This position “provides tremendous hope for a future in which elephants will not suffer.”
According to the animal rights organization, Happy is depressed and disoriented. The zoo says this is not true and that Happy is well taken care of by “caregivers and has been known for decades and has a strong bond.”
