Help raise awareness of the world's first elephant rights lawsuits

Help raise awareness of the plight of captive elephants by rumbling for rights with the NhRP!

The Nonhuman Rights Project’s first elephant clients—Beulah, Karen, and Minnie (held in captivity at Connecticut’s Commerford Zoo and forced to perform in circus and fairs) and Happy (held alone in captivity at the Bronx Zoo)—were only a few years old when they were taken from the wild and imported to the US decades ago. Instead of forming deep bonds with members of their herd, roaming their natural habitats, and making decisions about how to spend their days and live their lives, they became the property of human beings.

Like all nonhuman animals in the US, even those who are demonstrably self-aware and autonomous with rich inner and social lives, elephants are considered legal “things” with no rights. Our understanding of elephants has only deepened over time, but their legal status has remained exactly the same. What this means in practice is that, as long as the people, businesses, and institutions that “own” elephants meet minimum welfare requirements, it’s still perfectly legal to do to them what we’d never do to self-aware, autonomous humans: deprive them of their bodily liberty.

What we’re doing: On Nov. 13, 2017, we filed the first-ever lawsuit demanding recognition of elephants’ legal personhood and fundamental right to bodily liberty and our elephant clients’ release to an elephant sanctuary. On Oct. 2, 2018, we announced the filing of our second elephant rights lawsuit.

What you can do: We need you to help us spread the word about these lawsuits by “rumbling for rights” on social media. A rumble is a type of elephant call. A member of an elephant family uses the “let’s go” rumble—the inspiration for our hashtag—to urge other members to move together in a certain direction. A perfect metaphor for online activism on behalf of elephants, we thought! 🙂

If you agree that elephants should be recognized as legal persons with fundamental rights, we encourage you to express your support on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and wherever else you see fit. Below, we’ve provided graphics you’re welcome to download and share and resources you can link to (the elephants’ court case pages, legal documents, blog posts, etc.). Whatever you choose to write, be sure to tag #RumbleForRights and the NhRP to help us ensure that this rumble, like actual elephant rumbles, travels far and wide.

If you’d like to set up or join demonstrations against a Commerford Zoo appearance in your city or state or share with us any footage you’ve taken of these elephants, please email us at info@nonhumanrights.org. We also welcome personal accounts of any experiences you’ve had concerning Beulah, Karen, Minnie, or Happy.

Suggested Facebook Posts 🐘

Post One: Elephants are self-aware, autonomous beings with complex emotional, social, and intellectual lives. Why are they still considered legal “things” with no rights? I support the Nonhuman Rights Project’s lawsuit demanding recognition of the legal personhood and right to bodily liberty of elephants Beulah, Karen, and Minnie in Connecticut and elephant Happy in New York. #RumbleForRights

Post Two: Like so many elephants in the US and around the world, Beulah, Karen, and Minnie have spent almost their entire lives in captivity, deprived of everything that makes life worth living for an elephant. It’s time to transfer them to a sanctuary not out of concern for their welfare, but respect for their rights. #RumbleForRights

Post Three: As a New York resident, I support recognition of the legal personhood and fundamental right to bodily liberty of elephant Happy, held alone in captivity at the Bronx Zoo. #RumbleForRights

Post Four: Join me and the Nonhuman Rights Project in a #RumbleForRights for elephants! Learn more about the first-ever elephant rights lawsuits, filed by the NhRP in Connecticut and New York with affidavits from world-renowned elephant experts.

Suggested Tweets 🐘

Tweet One: Elephants are autonomous beings who should be able to live freely. I support recognition of their @NonhumanRights. #RumbleForRights

Tweet Two: As an animal advocate, I support recognition of the @NonhumanRights of elephants Beulah, Karen, Minnie, & Happy. #RumbleForRights

Tweet Three: As a #New York resident, I support recognition of the @NonhumanRights of elephant Happy at the Bronx Zoo. #RumbleForRights

Tweet Four: [Your organization name] supports recognition of the @NonhumanRights of elephants Beulah, Karen, Minnie, & Happy. #RumbleForRights

Tweet Five: The science is clear. When will the law catch up? #RumbleForRights for elephants & other autonomous nonhuman animals. @NonhumanRights

Suggested Instagram Posts 🐘

Post One: #Elephants are self-aware, autonomous beings with complex emotional, social, and intellectual lives. Why are they still considered legal “things” with no rights? I support the @nonhuman.rights.project’s lawsuits demanding recognition of the legal personhood and right to bodily liberty of captive elephants. #RumbleForRights #animals #animalrights #nonhumanrights #NhRP

Post Two: Like so many #elephants in the US and around the world, Beulah, Karen, Minnie, and Happy have spent almost their entire lives in #captivity, deprived of everything that makes life worth living for an elephant. It’s time to transfer them to #sanctuaries not out of concern for their welfare, but respect for their rights. #RumbleForRights #animals #animalrights #nonhumanrights #NhRP #sanctuary

Post Three: As a #Connecticut resident, I support recognition of the legal personhood and fundamental right to bodily liberty of #elephants Beulah, Karen, and Minnie, held captive at Connecticut’s Commerford Zoo. As self-aware, autonomous beings with rich inner and social lives, they’re entitled to no less. #RumbleForRights #animals #animalrights #nonhumanrights #NhRP #sanctuary

Post Four: Join me and the @nonhuman.rights.project in a #RumbleForRights for #elephants! Learn more about the first-ever elephant rights lawsuits, filed by the NhRP in Connecticut and New York with affidavits from world-renowned elephant experts such as Joyce Poole and Cynthia Moss. Their clients are Beulah, Karen, Minnie, and Happy who’ve spent almost their entire lives in captivity. #RumbleForRights #animals #animalrights #nonhumanrights #NhRP #science #law

Images

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