US EditionCourt: Chimps don’t have human rights, must stay in Michigan zoo
The Nonhuman Rights Project will appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court after the Court of Appeals ruled that chimpanzees at DeYoung Family Zoo are legally considered property, not persons.
- On Oct. 17, the Michigan Court of Appeals denied a writ of habeas corpus for seven chimpanzees at the DeYoung Family Zoo, with Judges Matthew Ackerman, Brock Swartzle and Christopher Trebilcock ruling they are not 'persons'.
- The Nonhuman Rights Project filed its 2023 complaint in the 41st Circuit Court in Menominee County, seeking chimpanzees' release to a sanctuary and submitting declarations from Jane Goodall.
- On Oct. 14, Nonhuman Rights Project Senior Staff Attorney Jake Davis argued the zoo must justify chimpanzees' detention, speaking for nearly 25 minutes after being granted 15 minutes.
- The Nonhuman Rights Project plans to appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court, which the judges wrote would have to decide whether the state should treat certain animals as persons.
- Past rulings, including the Tommy decision, show courts wrestling with personhood questions as activists lost bids for Hercules and Leo, though they were later transferred to a sanctuary in Georgia.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Michigan Court Rules Chimpanzees Don't Have Human Rights, Must Stay In Zoo
Chimpanzees-talk-it-over-in-committee In a case which the results would seem obvious to most people and make litigating it unnecessary, the Michigan Court of Appeals had to rule that chimpanzees are not “persons” therefore they aren’t entitled to human rights. Instead, the judges stated that the chimpanzees are, wait for it… animals. The case of the the chimpanzees who live at the DeYoung Family Zoo in the Upper Peninsula has been making its way…
Michigan Advance
Florida PhoenixAppeals court rejects habeas corpus for chimpanzees, lawyers will appeal to Michigan Supreme Court
From L-R: Michigan Court of Appeals Judges Matthew Ackerman, Brock Swartzle and Christopher Trebilcock. Oct. 14, 2025 | ScreenshotThe Michigan Court of Appeals has denied a writ of habeas corpus for seven chimpanzees currently at the DeYoung Family Zoo in Wallace, Mich., affirming a decision from the trial court that chimpanzees are not ‘persons’ under the law. The Nonhuman Rights Project, who are representing the chimpanzees, had been seeking …
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