Happy the Elephant is Giving Animals their Day in Court
Published by Minneapolis Star Tribune
Are humans the only animals that deserve rights? A groundbreaking animal protection case addressing this question will go before New York state's highest court in 2022. It could transform the future for an elephant named Happy and create momentum for change for billions of other animals.
Happy the elephant was born in 1971, probably in Thailand, where she was captured as a baby and sold into captivity. She has spent more than 40 years at the Bronx Zoo in New York City.
Since 2006, Happy has been held in a sort of solitary confinement, alone in what has been ranked one of America's 10 worst zoos for elephants. Animal protection groups have expressed concern that Happy's isolation and poor living conditions put her at risk for serious mental and physical health ailments.
Note: To learn more about animal law in Minnesota, read Chapter 343, Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. For technical definitions of “animal” and “cruelty;torture,” click here.
