The following statement may be attributed to Jessica Almy, Executive Director of the Nonhuman Rights Project, regarding the passing of Kimba, an African elephant and former client of the Nonhuman Rights Project.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Kimba. Born in the wild in South Africa, Kimba was taken from her natural home as a young elephant and spent more than four decades in captivity. Throughout her life, she was denied the opportunity to roam vast landscapes, make meaningful choices about her daily life, and experience the full range of social relationships and natural behaviors that are essential to elephants’ well-being. She was a unique individual whose life mattered and she deserved every opportunity to experience the richness, freedom, and connection that elephants naturally seek—something that was stolen and withheld from her for over forty years being confined in a zoo.
Kimba was one of five elephants at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo on whose behalf the Nonhuman Rights Project sought legal recognition of their fundamental right to bodily liberty and their release to an accredited elephant sanctuary.
Although the Colorado Supreme Court ultimately declined to recognize that right, our fight for Kimba was grounded in extensive scientific evidence demonstrating that elephants are extraordinarily intelligent, emotionally complex, and autonomous beings who deserve more than a life of confinement.
We are heartbroken that Kimba never had the opportunity to experience the freedom we fought to secure for her. Her passing is a painful reminder of why our work remains so urgent. We will continue fighting for the right to liberty of elephants and other nonhuman animals. Kimba deserved to live with dignity, exercise autonomy, form meaningful relationships, and experience the fullest life possible.”