What legal rights did the Nonhuman Rights Project seek for the chimpanzees Tommy, Kiko, Hercules, and Leo?

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Three PETA protesters in animal masks and green clothing hold signs reading No Fur at a demonstration against fur in clothing at a shopping district in Seoul, South Korea. — Animal rights A PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) demonstration in Seoul, South Korea, against the use of animals for fur in clothing.

In 2013, the Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) filed petitions in New York trial courts seeking common law writs of habeas corpus for four captive chimpanzees: Tommy, Kiko, Hercules, and Leo.1

Through these petitions, the organization sought to have the courts recognize these chimpanzees as legal persons who possess the fundamental legal right to bodily liberty. The NhRP argued that because these animals possess advanced cognitive and social capacities, they should be granted the same legal protections against unlawful imprisonment that are traditionally afforded to humans. Following the denial of these petitions in trial and appellate courts, the organization continued its efforts to establish legal personhood for nonhuman animals through further litigation.1