According to Will Coggin writing in the Center for Consumer Freedom weekly newsletter, the Nonhuman Rights Project is again attempting to apply habeas corpus to animals. This case involves five elephants held at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.  This is a replay of previous unsuccessful attempts by the Nonhuman Rights Project to obtain legal status for animals that conforms to humans. 

While this commentator supports state and local laws preventing zoos and individuals from holding wild animals under inappropriate housing and inhumane conditions, the action by the Nonhuman Rights Project represents a slippery slope for livestock production. If a court grants habeas corpus, elevating an animal to the status of a human it would create a legal precedent. This would allow a Court granting a writ to designate a curator, with legal responsibilities for the care of an animal as it would for an infirm human. If the status of animals as special property were to be elevated, a wave of litigation would ensue. Petitioners would claim that poultry flocks or dairy herds are all subject to inhumane conditions.  If granted a writ would allow a court-appointed curator to remove the flock or herd to a different location depriving the owner of assets and a livelihood.

With extensive legal resources and time available, the Nonhuman Rights Project will continue to identify potential animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas and elephants in zoos or in research institutions as subjects for their litigation.  They hope by selecting what they regard as a deserving case, and a hearing by a sympathetic court they will be able to establish more extensive legal rights for animals to the detriment of livestock production.

It is noted that animals and chickens “rescued” (read, stolen) by extremists belonging to organizations such as DxE provide their subjects with names as a demonstration of their humanization. Perhaps appropriate for rare pandas or captive orcas from a marketing perspective but not for livestock.