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The NY Times reports that animal law professor Steven Wise and the Nonhuman Rights Project (Nh.R.P) have filed a lawsuit on behalf of a captive chimpanzee named Tommy, who is “the first nonhuman primate to ever sue a human captor in an attempt to gain his own freedom.” The Nh.R.P. plans to file similar lawsuits on behalf other great apes, dolphins, orcas, belugas, elephants and African gray parrots, all of whom have sophisticated cognitive abilities.

Chimps were chosen first because sanctuaries are prepared to take them if they win their freedom in court and because of the availability of research on their cognitive abilities: Advanced neurological and genetic research has shown that animals like chimpanzees, orcas and elephants possess self-awareness, self-determination and a sense of both the past and future. They have their own distinct languages, complex social interactions and tool use. They grieve and empathize and pass knowledge from one generation to the next. The very same attributes, in other words, that we once believed distinguished us from other animals.”

Imprisoning animals in zoos, labs, aquariums or any other captive setting is cruel. Imagine the frustration, stress, anxiety and depression experienced by orcas at Sea World; circus elephants on trains; and chimps in small cages in university basements! Please learn about and support the ground-breaking legal work of the Nonhuman Rights Project to free animals from captivity.

According to CNN, The Nonhuman Animal Rights Project (NhRP) lost its case in the state of New York to “grant captive chimpanzees the same rights as a ‘legal person.'” A victory would have freed four chimpanzees in the state and sent them to sanctuaries. NhRP, which intends to appeal the case, said it “plans to file more lawsuits across the country on behalf of captive animals ‘who are scientifically proven to be self-aware and autonomous,’ such as elephants, dolphins and whales.”

Wild animals lead complex and fulfilling lives in their natural habitat and should never be held captive by humans. Because chimps are so intelligent and relatable, advocacy groups have worked tirelessly to rescue them from laboratories, where they can be imprisoned and experimented on for life. To learn about how you can help bring an end to animal research, please visit Stop Animal Exploitation Now.