Should Animals Have Human Rights?

Happy has lived in New York City’s Bronx Zoo for years. To visitors, she’s a lone Asian elephant. But to a team of animal rights lawyers, she’s a prisoner.

They’ve petitioned state courts for a writ of Habeas Corpus; a legal maneuver that, if granted, would declare Happy a legal person who deserves to be freed. It’s the latest case in an ongoing fight to extend basic human rights to animals – one that could have big repercussions in the natural world.

Because this is a case that deals with animals AND the law, two podcasts from New Hampshire Public Radio have teamed up to take it on: Outside/In and Civics 101. We always hear about the animal rights movement… but what rights do animals actually have?

Featuring: Maneesha Deckha and Kevin Schneider

WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.CLICK HERE: • Visit our website to see all of our episodes, donate to the podcast, sign up for our newsletter, get free educational materials, and more! • To see Civics 101 in book form, check out A User's Guide to Democracy: How America Works • by Hannah McCarthy and Nick Capodice, featuring illustrations by Tom Toro. • Check out our other weekly NHPR podcast, Outside/In • - we think you'll love it!