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metronews.ca WEEKEND, December 5-7, 2014
Chimp not entitled to human freedoms Animal rights. Appeals court affirms that chimpanzees do not deserve basic rights such as freedom from imprisonment A chimpanzee is not entitled to the rights of a human and does not have to be freed by its owner, a New York appeals court ruled Thursday. The three-judge Appellate Division panel was unanimous in denying legal personhood to Tommy, who lives alone in a cage. A trial-level court had previously denied the Nonhuman Rights Project’s effort to have Tommy released. The group’s lawyer, Steven Wise, told the appeals court in October that the chimp’s living conditions are akin to a person in unlawful solitary confinement. Wise argued that animals with human qualities, such as
Quoted
“Needless to say, unlike human beings, chimpanzees cannot bear any legal duties, submit to societal responsibilities or be held legally accountable for their actions.” From the decision, written by a three-judge appeal-court panel
chimps, deserve basic rights, including freedom from imprisonment. He has also sought the release of three other chimps in New York and said he plans similar cases in other states. But the mid-level appeals court said there is no precedent for treating animals as persons and no legal basis. “So far as legal theory is concerned, a person is any being whom the law regards as capable of rights and duties,” the judges wrote. “Needless
to say, unlike human beings, chimpanzees cannot bear any legal duties, submit to societal responsibilities or be held legally accountable for their actions.” That, they ruled, makes it “inappropriate” to grant the rights of a human to the animal. The Nonhuman Rights Project said it will appeal to the state’s top court, citing other New York appeals-court rulings it says are at odds with Thursday’s decision. Tommy’s owner, Patrick Lavery, said Thursday he was pleased and expected the ruling. Tommy, believed to be about 40 years old, is a former entertainment chimp who was placed with Lavery about 10 years ago. Lavery said Tommy is cared for under strict state and federal licence rules. The court noted there have been no claims that Tommy has been mistreated or any of those rules have been violated. The Associated Press
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Prisoners crochet to honour Mandela Ahead of the first anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s death, inmates at the Zonderwater prison east of Pretoria, South Africa, have been making brightly colored blankets to commemorate the anti-apartheid leader who became the country’s first black president. The prisoners have crocheted the blankets as part of a charity project for poor communities. Themba Hadebe/The Associated press Florida
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‘Miracle’
School accused of promoting deceit
Toddler recovering in Polish hospital
Prosecutors say a for-profit Florida college used exotic dancers as admissions officers, falsified documents and coached students to lie on financial forms as it fraudulently obtained millions in federal money.
A Polish toddler found unconscious in sub-freezing temperatures hugged a teddy bear and called for his parents after only four days of treatment, his mother said Thursday, while his doctor described the boy’s recovery as “a
The Associated press
miracle.” Adam, 2, spent an unknown number of hours outdoors in southern Poland. His body temperature was only 12.7 C, and his heart was beating extremely slowly when hospital treatment began early Sunday. He is recovering and breathing on his own. The Associated press