A historic court judgment for Animal Rights struggle was featured in the world press last week. Thanks to an application for Habeas Corpus request by AFADA (Argentina Lawyers Association for the Rights of Animals), Judge Maria Alejandra Mauricio determined that chimpanzee Cecilia, who lives at the zoo in the city of Mendoza, is a “subject of law “and that she is transferred to the Great Primates Sanctuary of Sorocaba / SP, affiliated to GAP Project.
The court decision was taken at a hearing of conciliation between the government of Mendoza and AFADA, which in 2015 reported the case of Cecilia. According to Pablo Buompadre, president of AFADA, Cecilia lives in “deplorable conditions” in a concrete and solitary confinement.
“The Habeas Corpus recognition means that the animals are not things anymore, and put them in the right place, recognizing their rights,” Buompadre said of the sentence. “We think that legal recognition is a very important step to assist in the release of other animals, beginning with Cecilia, whose species is the most similar to humans,” he added.
Transfer to Brazil
After the publication of the sentence, now it starts the documentation process within the authorities of both countries to Cecilia´s transfer to the Great Apes Sanctuary of Sorocaba. Today it can’t be set a deadline or date of transfer, given the complexity of the import process, but the Sanctuary is ready to receive the chimpanzee and do all the follow-up to adapt Cecilia to her new life with her fellow chimpanzees.
Read the full judgment here (in Spanish) – 329931683-habeas-corpus-cecilia
Read more:
https://www.thedodo.com/judge-declares-chimp-has-rights-2079769663.html