Why do animal rights matter? Because–to cite one example from a letter we recently received from an anonymous source in Michigan–it’s still possible to do this to a chimpanzee without being in violation of any animal welfare laws:
Dear NhRP, I saw that you are trying to free the chimps at DeYoung Family Zoo in Michigan. The ones in the big building at least get to go outside. The one in the house is a female with a name that starts with L. I’m sorry I never heard it clearly. They call her the baby. She lives in a 15x15 foot cell. Never goes outside and only has a DVD player that plays on a loop. No toys. She is definitely the one you should be fighting for. I was only in her area once. I tried to talk to people about her, but I could only get limited info. All the workers that did say anything were clearly disgusted with her treatment, but were afraid to say anything. Please save her.
Next week the NhRP will ask Michigan’s highest court to take our case on behalf of this chimpanzee and six others held captive at the DeYoung Family Zoo. In October, a Michigan appellate court ruled that the chimpanzees can’t have the right to liberty because they’re considered property under 19th-century precedent set by the Michigan Supreme Court. We’ll send a full court case update soon.
If you can, please make an early Giving Tuesday donation here to help us start out strong. Every dollar goes toward overcoming the unfair and archaic legal barriers that allow nonhuman animals like this young chimpanzee to be exploited for human gain and confined without end.
With gratitude,
The NhRP
P.S. Soon we’ll be sending out more emails than usual as we begin our end-of-year fundraising campaign. It’s important to us to allow you to choose what kinds of emails you’d like to receive while this campaign is ongoing. Make your selections here.
