An orangutan which spent 20 years in an Argentine zoo is being moved to a US animal sanctuary after being granted the same legal rights as humans.<\/p>\n
Lawyers won a landmark appeal for Sandra in 2014<\/a>, arguing she was being detained in Buenos Aires illegally.<\/p>\n The ruling found her to be Argentina’s first “nonhuman person, with the right to liberty”.<\/p>\n The 33-year-old arrived in Kansas on Friday and will undergo tests before moving to her new home in Florida.<\/p>\n Judge Elena Liberatori – who has a picture of Sandra in her office – told AP news agency she wanted her ruling to send a message: “That animals are sentient beings and that the first right they have is our obligation to respect them.”<\/p>\n Sandra was born in an East German zoo and sold to Buenos Aires in 1995.<\/p>\n The orangutan spent much of her life in a solitary enclosure and regularly tried to avoid the public. She had a daughter in 1999, but the baby was taken away from her and sold to an animal park in China.<\/p>\n Her legal victory brought international fame to the orangutan, and set a precedent for apes to be legally deemed people rather than property.<\/p>\n Until this week – nearly five years later – Sandra remained at the site of the zoo, which closed in 2016 following reports of animal cruelty. The zoo is now being rebuilt as an “eco-park” with improved living standards for animals.<\/p>\n An Argentine court approved her transfer to Florida’s Center for Great Apes in 2017, though her journey was delayed by applications for US permits.<\/p>\n The 100-acre sanctuary is home to chimpanzees and orangutans which have been freed from circuses, labs, zoos and private collections. Michael Jackson’s former pet chimpanzee, Bubbles, is among several famous residents.<\/p>\n Sandra will join 21 other orangutans, and will be free to move between 11 outdoor areas where the great apes live.<\/p>\n “We’re eager to meet her, she’s a lovely orangutan” said Patti Ragan, the Center’s founder.<\/p>\n Speaking to the BBC, Ms Ragan said she was happy that Sandra’s story was bringing public attention to orangutans, one of the world’s most endangered animals.<\/p>\n But she added that the sanctuary was working to ensure this heightened publicity wouldn’t impact on Sandra’s transition into her new home.<\/p>\n “We don’t want any distractions,” said Ms Ragan. “We just want her to have peace when she gets here”.<\/p>\n Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bubbles<\/h2>\n