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Fri, Oct 10
New York State Court Hears Landmark Chimp Personhood Case
Can an animal who possesses the essential qualities of personhood ever be considered, in the eyes of the law, a person?
As of now, the answer is no. But a panel of New York state judges yesterday considered that question, which was posed by a group called the Nonhuman Rights Project on behalf of a 26-year-old chimpanzee named Tommy.
Tommy presently is kept alone in a cage in a warehouse in Gloversville, New York. Eventually, hope his advocates, he will be moved to a sanctuary and into the history books as the first nonhuman animal person, possessing rights previously restricted to Homo sapiens.