The city council of Ojai, California, voted on September 26 to ban captivity of elephants within the city limits. The Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) drafted the bill and helped shepherd it through the council.
It is the first ordinance in the United States that bestows “habeas corpus” rights on elephants. Habeas corpus is a term describing the requirement of a legal basis for detaining a person. Granting habeas rights to elephants means they cannot be held captive against their will.
Though the story does not mention any specific elephant in Ojai, this is not the first time elephant advocates have tried to gain habeas corpus rights for elephants. There is the ongoing saga of Happy the elephant, currently held in the Bronx Zoo, on whose behalf the NhRP sued the state of New York for habeas corpus rights. Habeas rights were denied in that case, but two judges’ powerful dissents gave hope to animal advocates. One dissent declared that the majority was wrong to require a subject of a habeas petition to meet the requirements for “personhood” to be successful. The dissenting judge said Happy was not a “person”–that is, not a member of the homo sapien species–but still more than an object like a “desk chair or earthworm.” There must be a way to find relief for a nonhuman animal, according to the dissents. The NhRP continues its grassroots movement to free Happy.
While no elephants are held in captivity in Ojai, 19 elephants are currently held in zoos in the state of California. NhRP has filed a petition to release three elephants to sanctuaries from the Fresno Zoo, two of whom are pregnant. (Infant elephant mortality is almost three times as high in zoos as in the wild).
How You Can Advocate for Elephants
Want to help free captive elephants in California? Support the NhRP’s work and advocated to transfer captive elephants to sanctuaries, where they can live out the rest of their lives in a more natural environment.
Donate
NhRP fights for elephants and other animals in the legal system, which requires high fees and court costs, as well as valuable time. Your donation will support ongoing litigation costs and NhRP operations. Your US-based donations are tax-deductible.
To support NhRP, donate online, mail a check, develop a giving plan, or hold a fundraiser.
Volunteer
Have any special skills that can support NhRP’s work? Fill out the volunteer application to let them know you’re available and interested, and what skills you’d like to contribute. Relevant skills include:
- campaign/advocacy (calls, emails, social media posts, letters to the editor, organizing local events)
- communications and digital marketing (writing, PR, social media, website, digital channels)
- education (local events, virtual events, materials development)
- fundraising (donor research, donor stewardship, donor outreach, donor events)
- government relations (research, writing, outreach, advocacy)
- graphic design
- photography or videography, including video editing
- research (state and federal laws, regulations, court decisions, voting records)
- volunteer management (outreach, organization, stewardship)
Action Alerts
Sign up to receive NhRP emails so you can respond to “action alerts,” which inform advocates of opportunities to write letters to elected officials, editors, or other relevant players, or sign petitions to free NhRP clients from captivity.
Elephant Advocate 