May 28, 2026—NEW YORK—From 2018 to 2022, Happy was a client of the NhRP in a groundbreaking court case that sought recognition of her right to liberty under New York’s common law of habeas corpus and her release to an elephant sanctuary.
Yale historian Jill Lepore called Happy’s case “the most important animal-rights case of the 21st century.”
Statement from Christopher Berry, executive director of NhRP is below:
Happy made history. She opened courtroom doors and brought attention to legal rights for animals.
However, while Happy’s legal case marked a significant milestone, her personal story is one of enduring hardship and loss. She suffered from the moment she was taken from her family and natural home in Thailand to the day she was euthanized inside a barn at the Bronx Zoo. The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo kept Happy in captivity in conditions that did not meet her complex needs since 1977, and in solitary confinement for 20 years. As a result, she suffered significant physical and psychological harm. Happy lived at first with her companions, Grumpy and Sammi, but was kept in solitary confinement by the zoo after their deaths. She was forced to endure a near lifetime of chronic stress and trauma in the zoo’s tiny, barren exhibit.
Happy’s suffering will not be in vain. Happy will always be remembered as the elephant who opened the courtroom doors for legal rights for animals. Two judges from the New York Court of Appeals issued powerful dissenting opinions in support of her right to liberty. Her case reached them after the world’s first habeas corpus order on behalf of an elephant was issued in her favor, leading to historic hearings in which the Bronx Supreme Court wrote that “Happy is more than just a legal thing or property. She is an intelligent, autonomous being who should be treated with respect and dignity, and who may be entitled to liberty.” Happy’s historic right to liberty hearings were the first of their kind for elephants, but they won’t be the last.
Happy also inspired the passage of the first animal rights legislation in the U.S. and the introduction of the first elephant captivity ban in New York City. The story of the injustice of her life will continue to be told. It will continue to touch the hearts of people around the world, including judges and elected officials with the courage to recognize that animals like Happy have legal rights and that there is no justification for taking away their freedom.
The Bronx Zoo and the Wildlife Conservation Society failed Happy. But they can still choose to do the right thing for the one remaining elephant at the Bronx Zoo, Patty. Twenty years ago, the Wildlife Conservation Society pledged to permanently close its elephant exhibit at the Bronx Zoo should only a single elephant remain. That day has come. They should honor this commitment and arrange for Patty’s release to an accredited elephant sanctuary. Additionally, the New York City Council should pass Intro 590, an elephant captivity ban introduced by Council Member Shahana Hanif, so no elephant suffers in New York City ever again.
As New York Court of Appeals Chief Judge Rowan Wilson wrote in his dissent in Happy’s case: ‘We should recognize Happy’s right to petition for her liberty not just because she is a wild animal who is not meant to be caged and displayed, but because the rights we confer on others define who we are as a society.”
The NhRP’s fight to secure fundamental legal rights for animals continues.
Contact: Robert Conner, rconner@scottcircle.com
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About the Nonhuman Rights Project
The Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) is the only organization in the United States founded to secure fundamental legal rights for animals, bringing groundbreaking litigation that seeks to ensure that the law effectively protects them from harm.