Raising awareness of the importance of and legal basis for nonhuman rights

In 2015, NhRP founder Steven M. Wise was invited to give a TED Talk on nonhuman rights. In it, he details how, for thousands of years, nonhuman animals have been viewed and treated as mere things under the law. Drawing on legal history, he explains how and why the NhRP is working to change nonhuman animals' legal status.

Our interactive map and comprehensive shareable index shines a light on the lives of the more than 250 elephants held captive in AZA-accredited zoos across the US–more than half of the total number of elephants held captive in the US

In 2016, acclaimed filmmakers D A Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus released a documentary that follows the NhRP’s novel mission and work to transform nonhuman animals from legal “things” with no rights to “persons” with fundamental rights, beginning with four captive chimpanzees in New York.