Should This Elephant Go Free?

    As humans, we interact with animals all the time. Pet owners share their homes with dogs, cats, turtles, and fish. Farmers raise cows for milk and pigs for meat. Hunters stalk deer in the woods, and fishers fish the rivers for trout.

    In recent years, we’ve paid more attention to the way we treat these animals. Laws limit the ways that scientists can use animals in labs. On farms, cows and pigs have to be slaughtered without pain. All 50 states have laws banning cruelty to pets. In several states, people have gone to jail for beating their dogs. 

    But suppose animals are more like humans than we think. What if they feel emotions like grief and loneliness? That’s why some people believe the laws we have may not be enough.

    As humans, we interact with animals all the time. People have pets, such as dogs and cats. Farmers raise pigs and cows for meat. Hunters stalk deer in the woods. Fishers fish the rivers for trout.

    In recent years, we’ve thought more about how we treat animals. Laws limit the way scientists can study animals. On farms, the way pigs and cows are killed for their meat must be painless. In most states, it is against the law to be cruel to pets. In some states, people who beat their dogs have gone to jail. 

    But what if animals are more like humans than we think? What if they feel emotions like grief and loneliness? That’s why some people want more laws to protect animals.

    As humans, we interact with animals on a regular basis. Pet owners share their homes with dogs, cats, turtles, and fish. Farmers raise cows for milk and pigs for meat. Hunters stalk deer in the woods, and fishers fish the rivers for trout.

    In recent years, we’ve started paying more attention to the way we treat these animals. Laws limit the way scientists can use animals when conducting research. Farmers must slaughter cows and pigs in ways that do not cause pain. Most states have also passed laws that ban cruelty to pets. In several states, people have been sent to jail for beating their dogs. 

    But suppose animals have more in common with humans than we think. What if they feel grief, loneliness, and other emotions? That’s why some people believe the laws we have may not protect animals well enough.

    Experts say that the more we study animals, the more we realize how smart they are. Crows make tools from wire to get food. Apes have been taught to use sign language. Octopuses can tell one human apart from another. Happy can even recognize herself in a mirror.

    Many scientists think elephants actually feel emotions. In the wild, females like Happy live in family groups for their entire lives. They work together to protect their young. They may even feel grief when they lose family members. 

    Joyce Poole is a scientist who studies elephants. She once watched a mother stay by the body of her calf for two days. 

    The mother’s ears drooped. Her head hung low. At times she poked at the dead calf, trying to lift it.

    Studies show how smart animals are. Crows make tools from wire to get food. Apes can be taught to use sign language. Octopuses can tell one human apart from another. Happy can recognize herself in a mirror.

    Many experts think elephants feel emotions. In the wild, females like Happy live in family groups. They work together to protect their young. They may even feel grief when family members die. 

    Joyce Poole is a scientist who studies elephants. She saw a mother elephant stay by the body of her dead baby for two days. 

    The mother’s ears drooped. Her head hung low. She tried to lift the baby.

    Experts say that the more we study animals, the more we realize how intelligent they are. Crows can make tools from paper clips, apes can be taught sign language, and octopuses can tell one human apart from another. Happy can even recognize herself in a mirror.

    Many scientists think elephants actually feel emotions. In the wild, females like Happy live in family groups for their entire lives. They work together to protect their young, and they may even experience grief when family members die.

    Joyce Poole, a scientist who studies elephants, once watched a mother stay by the body of her calf for two days. The mother’s ears drooped, and her head hung low. At times she poked at the dead calf, attempting to lift it.

    Elephants like Happy are social creatures. That’s why the Nonhuman Rights Project says Happy needs to be around other elephants. At the zoo, the group claims, she’s like a prisoner. 

    The NhRP wants Happy moved to a sanctuary. There, she would have more space to roam. She would also have other elephants to roam with.

    But the zoo insists that it is the best place for Happy right now. She is over 50 and has been raised by people since she was a baby. Adjusting to life in a sanctuary could be hard for her. 

    Plus, the zoo believes it’s important for people to interact with animals like Happy. When people visit a zoo, they get to know the animals. They feel connected. As a result, they’re more likely to want to protect animals in the wild.

    If the NhRP wins the lawsuit, it will be the first time a U.S. court has treated an animal like a person. Would it mean the end of zoos? Could the law eventually keep us from eating meat? 

    No one knows. But there will certainly be more lawsuits. The NhRP hopes to free elephants, chimpanzees, and more. There might be a lot of animals with more room to roam. 

    Like all elephants, Happy is a social creature. The NhRP says she needs to be around other elephants. The group says she’s like a prisoner at the zoo.

    The NhRP wants Happy moved to an elephant sanctuary. Then she would have more space to roam. She would be around other elephants.

    But the zoo says it’s the best place for Happy right now. She’s over 50. She’s been raised by people since she was a baby. It might be hard for her to get used to life in a sanctuary. 

     They also say it’s important for people to interact with Happy. When people visit a zoo, they feel connected to the animals. That makes them want to protect animals in the wild.

    If the NhRP wins the lawsuit, it will be the first time a U.S. court has treated an animal like a person. Would it mean the end of zoos? Could the law keep us from eating meat? 

    No one knows. But there will probably be more lawsuits. The NhRP hopes to free elephants, chimps, and more. 

    There might be a lot of animals with more room to roam. 

    Like her relatives in the wild, Happy is a social creature. That’s why the Nonhuman Rights Project says she needs to be around other elephants. At the zoo, the group claims, she’s like a prisoner. 

    The NhRP wants Happy transferred to an elephant sanctuary. There, she would have more space to roam—and other elephants to roam with.

    But the zoo insists that it is the best place for Happy right now. She is over 50 and has been raised by humans since she was a baby, so adjusting to life in a sanctuary could be difficult for her.  

    Besides, the zoo believes it’s important for people to interact with animals like Happy. Visiting zoos makes people feel connected to animals, which can make them more likely to support efforts to protect animals in the wild.

    If the NhRP wins the lawsuit, it will be the first time a U.S. court has treated an animal like a person. Would it mean the end of zoos? Could the law eventually keep us from eating meat? 

    No one knows—but there will certainly be more lawsuits. The NhRP hopes to free elephants, chimpanzees, and more. 

    There might be a lot of animals with more room to roam. 

1800s: Caged Animals 
The first zoos looked a lot like this one. Animals were kept in tiny cages. Their lives were cramped, boring, and often short.

1800s: Caged Animals 
The first zoos looked a lot like this one. Animals were kept in tiny cages. Their lives were cramped, boring, and often short.

1800s: Caged Animals 
The first zoos looked a lot like this one. Animals were kept in tiny cages. Their lives were cramped, boring, and often short.

1970s: Room to Roam 
In the 1970s, zoos like the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington, began to change. They tried to create spaces that looked like animals’ homes in the wild.

1970s: Room to Roam 
In the 1970s, zoos like the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington, began to change. They tried to create spaces that looked like animals’ homes in the wild.

1970s: Room to Roam 
In the 1970s, zoos like the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, Washington, began to change. They tried to create spaces that looked like animals’ homes in the wild.

Today: Time to Explore 
Now, many zoos are trying to keep animals’ brains active. At the Philadelphia Zoo in Pennsylvania, tigers and other animals get to explore in special overhead walkways.

Today: Time to Explore 
Now, many zoos are trying to keep animals’ brains active. At the Philadelphia Zoo in Pennsylvania, tigers and other animals get to explore in special overhead walkways.

Today: Time to Explore 
Now, many zoos are trying to keep animals’ brains active. At the Philadelphia Zoo in Pennsylvania, tigers and other animals get to explore in special overhead walkways.