Elephants can't pursue their release from a Colorado zoo because they're not human, court says

[Still Waters]

Five elephants at a Colorado zoo may be "majestic" but, since they're not human, they do not have the legal right to pursue their release, Colorado's highest court said Tuesday.

The ruling from the Colorado Supreme Court follows a similar court defeat in New York in 2022 for an elephant named Happy at the Bronx Zoo in a case brought by an animal rights group. Rulings in favor of the animals would have allowed lawyers for both Happy and the elephants at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs—Missy, Kimba, Lucky, LouLou and Jambo—to pursue a long-held legal process for prisoners to challenge their detention and possibly be sent to live in an elephant sanctuary instead.

https://phys.org/news/2025-01-elephants-pursue-colorado-zoo-theyre.html

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[+and-then]

The folks who want these animals released should start a petition and perhaps have a planned, long-term protest outside the zoos to advocate for their release.  If a law is passed to remove elephants from zoos, I can't imagine it being long before all zoos were empty/outlawed.  Maybe it's time.  The people should decide.

[Ell]

People who want elephants to be free can simply buy them and release them on their own plot.

[Cho Jinn]

On 1/23/2025 at 7:12 AM, Ell said:

People who want elephants to be free can simply buy them and release them on their own plot.

Not really.  For these, and many other people, Change only happens when other people do it, or when other people spend their money or otherwise incur burdens or suffer consequences.  

[Ell]

That is what I said.