Judge rules chimpanze must be released from zoo, and grants her “non-human rights”

A judge has ruled that a zoo chimpanzee is a “being” with “non – human rights” in a landmark animal welfare case.

Photo: proyectogransimio.org

Cecilia, who is in her 30s, has sadly been kept alone in a concrete enclosure for years at the shabby Mendoza Zoo in Argentina after the death of two of her mates.

However, after complaints from a Spanish visitor, which resulted in a two-year legal battle, Judge María Alejandra Mauricio ruled Cecilia be freed and transferred to a sanctuary in Brazil.

Judge Mauricio said non-human creatures possessed rights related to their “animal essence”.