The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled against an animal rights group's attempt to free five elephants from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, stating that the law cited in the lawsuit only applies to humans.
Colorado's highest court ruled in favor of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo after it faced a lawsuit from an animal rights group regarding the alleged treatment of elephants at the Colorado Springs facility. The Colorado Supreme Court decided on Tuesday that the elephants couldn't be released because the law cited in the lawsuit only applies to humans.
The Nonhuman Rights Project filed the suit in May of last year in Colorado Springs, alleging that the animals were being held against their will in a way that caused them stress, physical issues, and brain damage. The group argued that elephants in the wild have a range of several thousand miles, while at the zoo, they are restricted to moving about 100 yards in any direction. An attorney for the zoo told CBS News Colorado that the facility takes care of the elephants and meets their needs. The lawsuit cited habeas corpus, a provision of the U.S. Constitution that outlines requirements for the detention and imprisonment of people and offers remedies for release from custody. In its decision, the Colorado Supreme Court stated that habeas corpus cannot be used to release animals from zoos and upheld the lower court's ruling. The justices voted 6-0, with one justice abstaining.'We conclude that the district court correctly held that Colorado's habeas statute only applies to persons, and not to nonhuman animals, no matter how cognitively, psychologically, or socially sophisticated they may be,' State Supreme Court Justice Maria Berkenkotter wrote in her ruling. The zoo labeled the lawsuit 'frivolous' in a statement, saying 'while we're happy with this outcome, we are disappointed that it ever came to this.' 'For the past 19 months, we've been subjected to their misrepresented attacks, and we've wasted valuable time and money responding to them in courts and in the court of public opinion,' the zoo's statement continued. The Nonhuman Rights Project expressed disappointment and hinted at the possibility of appealing the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court, stating Tuesday's ruling 'perpetuates a clear injustice, stating that unless an individual is human they have no right to liberty.' The group said the zoo's five elephants will continue to suffer unless and until a court intervenes. 'Future courts will reject this notion, as judges in the United States and around the world have already begun to do,' the group's statement continued. 'As with other social justice movements, early losses are expected as we challenge an entrenched status quo that has allowed Missy, Kimba, Lucky, LouLou, and Jambo to be relegated to a lifetime of mental and physical suffering. We'll share further analysis of this opinion as well as our next steps in the coming days.' The district court did note, however, that the elephants were likely exposed to poor conditions and enclosures that were too small, but stated that the Nonhuman Rights Project simply lacked the legal standing to pursue the lawsuit under the law cited
Animal Rights Habeas Corpus Colorado Supreme Court Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Elephants Lawsuit
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