Chimpanzee becomes human in the eyes of law

Tommy the chimpanzee may soon become a human, at least in the eyes of the law.

A rights group sued Tommy's owners today, in an attempt to free the 26-year-old primate so that he can live at a sanctuary, Daily News reported.

The lawsuit filed by the Nonhuman Rights Project, is petitioning a New York court to grant Tommy 'legal personhood' based on scientific evidence that chimpanzees have the mental capacity to make decisions for themselves.

The group will also bring up precedents which granted freedom to slaves before they were emancipated and considered real people.

“Not long ago, people generally agreed that human slaves could not be legal persons, but were simple the property of their owners,” the non-profit's president Steven Wise told USA Today.

“We will assert, based on clear scientific evidence, that it's time to take the next step and recognize that these non-human animals cannot continue to be exploited as the property of their human owners.”

The lawsuit also argues that New York state “does not limit legal personhood to homo sapiens.” The group plans on bringing up two similar lawsuits to free three other New York state chimps.

Wise and his group say that Tommy is being held against his will in a “small, dank, cement cage” at his owner's reindeer farm in Gloversville, New York and if given the choice, this is not how he would chose to live.

But his owners say that's just not the case.

Tommy is one of 11 chimps that Patrick Lavery and his wife Diane have taken in from abusive or neglectful homes. They keep the chimps at their farm temporarily so that they can find a suitable sanctuary.

The Lavery's have had Tommy for a decade and are still looking for a sanctuary close enough to their other home in Ocala, Florida so that they can visit him.

“He's actually my favorite. He's so attached to us when we get home, he'll be so excited to see us,” Lavery said from Florida.

During the winter, Tommy stays inside in a building heated to 70 degrees, with the walls of his quarters painted to look like a jungle. “The chimp has a color TV and cable,” Lavery said. “He watches cartoons.”

And Lavery is no rookie when it comes to chimp-keeping. “Ive got 20 years experience with chimpanzees. We're not just some Joe Blow on the street who just happens to have a chimpanzee. I've had animals all my life. Horses, dogs, reindeer. It's not a fly-by-night operation.”

침팬지가 사람으로 인정받을 가능성이 있다는 소식이 알려졌다.

지난 2일(현지시간) 영국 데일리 메일은 '비인간 권리 협회(Nonhuman rights group)가 영장류를 법적인 사람으로 만들기 위해 소송했다'는 제목의 기사를 실었다.

이 협회는 같은 날 침팬지 '토미'의 주인을 고소하고, 26세인 토미가 안식처에서 자유롭게 살 수 있도록 시도 중이다.

협회는 뉴욕 법원으로 보내는 소장에 침팬지가 그들 스스로 의사 결정 능력을 가지는 것을 과학적인 근거로 들면서 토미가 '법적인 사람'임을 인정해달라고 청원했다.

이들은 토미가 그의 의지와 반대로 뉴욕에 소재한 농장의 좁고 눅눅한 시멘트 우리에 갇혀 있었다고 주장했다.

하지만 토미의 주인인 패트릭 레버리는 토미를 포함한 11마리의 침팬지들에게 편안한 환경을 제공했다고 반박했다.

보도에 따르면 토미가 머무른 우리는 문을 통해 밖의 놀이공간으로 나갈 수 있는 큰 공간이었다. 뿐만 아니라 겨울에 토미는 벽에 정글 그림이 그려진 70도의 건물 안에서 따뜻하게 지냈다.

레버리는 토미에 대해 '그 침팬지는 TV를 가지고 있었다'면서 '그는 만화영화를 봤다'고 회상했다.

출처 : 코리아타임즈

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