Lauren Choplin, the NhRP · [email protected]

August 1, 2025 at 5:01 PM

Born for freedom, bred for captivity: World Elephant Month 2025

Captive elephant breeding is unjust and cruel. Together we can end it and secure elephants’ right to liberty. Dear John,   For thousands of years, humans viewed elephants not as sentient beings but as resources to conquer, control, and commodify. In the last 50 years, human understanding of elephan…

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  The NhRP · [email protected]

July 31, 2025 at 12:01 AM

Let us know what you want to receive this August

Choose the updates, stories, and actions you want to receive throughout August. Dear John,  This August, as part of World Elephant Month, we’re shining a light on a cruel and unjust reality: elephants are still being bred in captivity under the false promise of conservation. Our theme, “Born for f…

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  Jake Davis, the NhRP · [email protected]

July 30, 2025 at 1:31 PM

Their freedom was at stake. What Justice Jaffe did helped them secure it.

Chimpanzees Hercules and Leo and the Jaffe decision The Nonhuman Rights Project is celebrating our 30th anniversary throughout the year with special content focused on where we’ve been, who we are as an organization, and where we’re headed. Below, NhRP Senior Staff Attorney Jake Davis reflects on…

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  Lauren Chopin · [email protected]

July 26, 2025 at 5:01 PM

We value your voice! Help shape the NhRP’s work in 2025 🐘

We want to hear from you! Will you take a quick survey to share what inspires you about our mission? Your voice matters! Hi John,   As someone who cares deeply about the rights of nonhuman animals, you’re an integral part of the NhRP community. It’s your passion and support that make our work poss…

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  The NhRP · [email protected]

July 14, 2025 at 10:26 PM

Today is World Chimpanzee Day. Will you speak up for them?

Seven chimpanzees remain captive in a roadside zoo in northern Michigan. Dear John,   On this day in 1960, Dr. Jane Goodall—world renowned primatologist and NhRP board member—began her trailblazing research on wild chimpanzees in Gombe. Her work shattered scientific and cultural myths, and transfor…

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  The Nonhuman Rights Project · [email protected]

July 13, 2025 at 1:31 PM

The story of the P.T. Barnum belugas: 160 years ago today

This is not just about belugas. It’s about who we are as a species. Dear John,   One hundred and sixty years ago today, two belugas died in a fire in P.T. Barnum’s American Museum in New York City. Visit the NhRP blog to read and share “Why We Fight for Nonhuman Rights: The Story of the P.T. Barnu…

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  The NhRP · [email protected]

July 11, 2025 at 5:31 PM

He was born into captivity.

For Ongard, and others like him, we must demand justice. Dear John,   In a world where intelligent, socially complex, and autonomous beings like elephants are still held captive under the guise of conservation—despite the overwhelming scientific evidence of the physical and psychological harm it ca…

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  The NhRP · [email protected]

July 4, 2025 at 3:31 PM

This 4th of July, let’s talk about freedom.

Freedom isn’t just a human right. Dear John, As the US celebrates another Independence Day, we’re reminded of the value of liberty—and of those who are still unjustly denied it.  Across the globe, autonomous and self-aware nonhuman animals like elephants, great apes, whales, and dolphins remain con…

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  Courtney Fern, the NhRP · [email protected]

July 2, 2025 at 5:46 PM

Sign our petition on behalf of seven chimpanzees held in a roadside zoo

It’s wrong to make chimpanzees live this way. Here is one way you can help. As the Nonhuman Rights Project prepares for a court hearing expected in the DeYoung prisoners’ case this year, you can help by signing and sharing their petition.  ADD YOUR NAME  Rocking. Screaming. Banging on the walls. Co…

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  The NhRP · [email protected]

June 26, 2025 at 11:28 PM

A setback for Billy and Tina—but the fight isn’t over

The court recognized they’re autonomous. It stopped short of giving them freedom. Dear John,  On June 18th we learned that the Los Angeles Superior Court denied our habeas corpus petition on behalf of elephants Billy and Tina—refusing to grant them the full and fair hearing they deserve on whether …

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  The NhRP · [email protected]

June 25, 2025 at 9:24 PM

“History doesn’t make itself—we make it one year at a time.” – NhRP Executive Director

Reflecting on a year of impact Dear John,  Our 2024 Digital Annual Report is here—and we’re proud to share all we accomplished last year with your support! From advancing nonhuman rights in court, to fostering change beyond the courtroom, to exploring new opportunities for change, it’s a powerful r…

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  The NhRP · [email protected]

June 19, 2025 at 3:16 PM

Wear your support for the DeYoung chimpanzees ❤️

Check out our new Free the DeYoung Prisoners merchandise! Dear John,  What’s happening to seven chimpanzees held captive at the DeYoung Family Zoo isn’t just a moral failure. It’s a legal one.   Seven self-aware, autonomous beings remain trapped at a roadside zoo in Northern Michigan—kept in a gro…

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  Lauren Choplin, the NhRP · [email protected]

June 18, 2025 at 12:03 AM

Dogs legally recognized as family members in New York case

A legal win for animals Good news! Today, a judge affirmed that dogs can be recognized as immediate family members under New York law. The Nonhuman Rights Project submitted two briefs in support of the plaintiffs in this case, who’ll now have the opportunity to recover emotional distress damages …

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  The NhRP · [email protected]

June 14, 2025 at 1:46 PM

Happy the elephant: two acts of judicial courage

Three years ago today, Judge Rowan Wilson and Judge Jenny Rivera refuted the idea that only humans can have rights. Dear John,   Three years ago today, two judges on New York’s highest court issued historic dissenting opinions in support of elephants’ right to liberty. The focus of their dissents …

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  Free to Be Elephants · [email protected]

June 12, 2025 at 9:27 PM

Rozie has endured what no elephant should ever have to.

Imagine losing every child you’ve ever had—because of where you’re forced to live. Dear John, Imagine losing every child you’ve ever had—because of where you’re forced to live. That’s Rozie’s reality.  Rozie is a 32-year-old Asian elephant who has spent her entire life confined to a five-acre exhi…

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  The NhRP · [email protected]

June 11, 2025 at 5:46 PM

Where our Michigan chimpanzee rights case stands

We are still waiting to hear from the courts about a date for oral arguments… Dear John, We’d like to share an update with you about where things stand in our fight to free seven chimpanzees imprisoned at a roadside zoo in Michigan—and what you can do today to support their case while we wait for …

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  Courtney Fern, the NhRP · [email protected]

June 5, 2025 at 7:49 PM

Urgent action needed for Billy and Tina

Contact the L.A. City Council President Dear John,  Today I’m writing with an urgent action you can take to help elephants Billy and Tina find sanctuary.  As we make clear in our ongoing litigation on Billy and Tina’s behalf, they remain in the constructive custody of the City of Los Angeles and t…

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  The NhRP · [email protected]

May 30, 2025 at 7:11 PM

Billy and Tina’s stories are what injustice looks like.

Sanctuary was within reach. Instead, they were sent to another zoo. Dear John xxxxxx,  Billy was just a baby when his life was stolen. Born in the wilds of Malaysia in 1985, he should have grown up in a close-knit elephant family—learning, exploring, and roaming freely. Instead, he was torn from h…

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  Jenny via the NhRP · [email protected]

May 28, 2025 at 11:31 PM

I provide sanctuary to chimpanzees in need. Here's why I support the NhRP.

A guest email from one of our first volunteers Jenny Desmond was one of the Nonhuman Rights Project’s first volunteers. She went on to co-found Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection in West Africa and helped provide care to 66 chimpanzees used in medical research and then abandoned by the New Y…

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  The NhRP · [email protected]

May 27, 2025 at 7:41 PM

“The hearing was about to begin, and I knew I was about to witness history.”

Looking back on an extraordinary moment of legal progress for nonhuman animals Dear John xxxxxx,   Ten years ago today, New York Supreme Court Justice Barbara Jaffe became the first judge in history to hold a habeas corpus hearing to determine the lawfulness of a nonhuman animal’s imprisonment. Dur…

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  Courtney Fern, the NhRP · [email protected]

May 23, 2025 at 6:03 PM

A day we stood together for animal rights—and how it moved me in ways I didn’t expect

A message of gratitude to the NhRP community. You show up for our clients even when it’s difficult. It was a freezing February day in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 2019. The NhRP’s Executive Director, Communications Director, and I had gathered outside an entertainment venue where we were holding a…

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  Christopher, the NhRP · [email protected]

May 22, 2025 at 2:29 AM

Update: Lawsuit on behalf of Billy and Tina

Our legal case for Billy and Tina will continue with full force. Court Case Update: Billy and TinaDear John,  Yesterday, I shared with you the story of the Nonhuman Rights Project’s efforts to file a habeas corpus petition on behalf of elephants Billy and Tina—efforts that revealed how the law sy…

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  The NhRP · [email protected]

May 20, 2025 at 9:16 PM

An urgent message from our Executive Director

Dear John,   Since this past Friday, the Nonhuman Rights Project has been attempting to file a habeas corpus petition seeking the right to liberty for Billy and Tina, two elephants held in captivity in the Los Angeles Zoo. As many NhRP supporters know, Billy and Tina should be released to an elep…

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  Monica Miller, the NhRP · [email protected]

May 18, 2025 at 4:18 PM

Correction: The day we stood for Happy

Three years ago today, I stood before the New York Court of Appeals for Happy's hearing. Correction: The first sentence was missing from the email we sent a few moments ago. This is the complete version with the full context provided. Our apologies!  Three years ago today, the New York Court of A…

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  Monica Miller, the NhRP · [email protected]

May 18, 2025 at 4:02 PM

The day we stood for Happy

Three years ago today, I stood before the New York Court of Appeals for Happy's hearing. Below are Monica Miller's reflections on this historic hearing. Monica is the NhRP attorney who argued on Happy's behalf before the panel of seven judges. Our fight for Happy's freedom is ongoing.   Dear John…

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  Free to Be Elephants · [email protected]

May 14, 2025 at 8:04 PM

Help free Tasha after 45 years in captivity

She’s waited decades for justice. She deserves freedom, not another winter on concrete. Please sign this petition if you want the Pittsburgh Zoo to free five African elephants from captivity and release them to an accredited elephant sanctuary!   Dear John,  Natasha—also known as Tasha—has spent …

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