The Nonhuman Rights Project

Why the Nonhuman Rights Project Is Unique

The Nonhuman Rights Project is unlike any other organization in the world. We are the only group fighting for actual LEGAL rights for members of species other than our own.
Why ‘Animal Rights’ Is a Contradiction in Terms

Hundreds of organizations say they work for “animal rights.” But the only animal with legal rights is the human animal. No other animal has any rights at all.
Are You a Legal ‘Person’ or a Legal ‘Thing’?

In Western law, every nonhuman animal has always been regarded as a legal “thing.” Only humans are viewed as legal “persons.”
What Kinds of Rights Are We Seeking for Nonhuman Animals?

We begin by seeking two kinds of fundamental rights for our nonhuman plaintiffs: bodily liberty and bodily integrity. (Do not confuse these fundamental rights of nonhuman animals with so-called “human rights.”)
How We Select Our Plaintiffs

There are three criteria that determine how we select plaintiffs:
How We Go About Filing Our Cases

By the end of 2013, the Nonhuman Rights Project will have launched the first in a series of lawsuits that demand that American state high courts do the following:

The Nonhuman Rights Project is the only organization working toward actual LEGAL rights for members of species other than our own. Our mission is to change the common law status of at least some nonhuman animals from mere “things,” which lack the capacity to possess any legal right, to “persons,” who possess such fundamental rights as bodily integrity and bodily liberty, and those other legal rights to which evolving standards of morality, scientific discovery, and human experience entitle them. Our first cases are being prepared for filing in 2013. Your support of this work is deeply appreciated.

Steve Wise’s Top Talks

The Dyson Lecture
Steve gave a talk entitled “The Nonhuman Rights Project’s Struggle for Nonhuman Personhood.” to students at the Pace Law School in New York

The ARZone Podcast
Steve discussed legal rights for nonumans in this interview with the Animal Rights Zone in May 2012.

WildTime Radio
Steve discussed legal rights for nonumans on WildTime Radio in July 2012.

Animal Law Series - Australia
Steve gave the keynote address at the 2007 Animal Law Lecture Series, an initiative by Voiceless, the animal protection institute, in Australia.

Wisconsin Public Radio
Steve discussed the Nonhuman Rights Project with Kathleen Dunn. The program runs one hour.

Highlights

Why You Lie Like an Ape

Next time someone catches you telling a small fib, you can explain that it’s just part of your cooperative nature as one of the great apes . After all, you can truthfully add, that’s the conclusion of a team of researchers who studied the development of co-operative behavior in 24 different kinds of primates, from [...]

What Are the Basic Criteria for Having Rights?

Steve Wise talks about how we can be confident, from a legal point of view, that a particular nonhuman being should be accorded certain basic legal rights. “The arguments I make, at least as a sufficient condition for rights is the idea of practical autonomy: that you can desire, that you can act intentionally, that [...]

How Elephants Communicate While Playing

Check out this great video of how elephants communicate. It was put together by Dr. Joyce Poole, co-founder of Elephant Voices and one of the world’s leading experts on elephant social behavior and communication.

Chimpanzees, like Humans, Have Asymmetric Brains

A new study points toward the structural asymmetries, or lopsidedness, in human and chimpanzee brains, an evolutionary trait that allows for a high degree of flexibility and adaptability.

What Kinds of Rights for Nonhumans?

Steve Wise talks about proportionality rights for nonhuman animals – just as children and people who are deemed insane, for example, have rights that are proportional to their capabilities. (One of a series of interviews recorded by Gooseberry Productions.)

New Iberia Chimpanzees Update

The remaining 61 “government-owned” chimpanzees slated to be retired from the New Iberia Research Center are going to have to wait until September before they are finally moved to their new home at Chimp Haven in Keithville, LA.