New York’s top court has made a landmark ruling. According to BusinessInsider, it said that an elephant is not a person. The case centers around Happy, a 41-year-old elephant at the Bronx Zoo. A group called the NonHuman Rights Project is suing the Zoo, arguing that Happy’s confinement is cruel and violates the elephant’s rights.
On Tuesday the New York State Court of Appeals ruled that an elephant does not have the same constitutional rights as human beings. The court said that granting constitutional rights to animals “would have an enormous destabilizing impact on modern society”.
I see both sides of this argument. I hate to see animals confined, but I am sure Happy is well cared for at the zoo. How do you feel about this ruling?