Cecilia, a chimpanzee in her 30s, has been kept alone in a concrete enclosure for years at the shabby Mendoza Zoo in Argentina after the death of two of her mates.\u00a0 In a landmark animal welfare case, a judge has ruled that Cecilia is a “being” with “non- human rights”. \u00a0Judge Mauricio said non-human creatures possessed rights related to their “animal essence”. She said, \u00a0“We’re not talking about the civil rights enshrined in the Civil Code, but instead the species’ own rights to development, to life in their natural habitat.”<\/p>\n
Following complaints\u00a0 which resulted in a two-year legal wrangle, Judge Mar\u00eda Alejandra Mauricio ruled Cecilia be freed and transferred to a the Great Ape Project’s sanctuary in Brazil, where the chimp will be able to socialise with other chimpanzees and live in humane conditions.<\/p>\n
Animal rights activists argued her confinement without fellow chimps was unlawful and the grubby conditions were affecting Cecilia’s health.<\/p>\n
Mendoza Zoo is currently undergoing a refit with the support of the Argentinian government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"