The Michigan Supreme Court ruled against animal rights activists seeking to give human rights to chimpanzees.

The Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) filed a complaint that the seven animals at a zoo in Wallace, Michigan, should be granted habeas corpus rights because being there violated their bodily liberty and equates to illegal detention. However, the court ruled that chimpanzees are not "persons" and, therefore, not entitled to such rights.

NhRP's approach is in line with animal rights advocates nationwide who oppose hunting, including Oregon activists who tried but failed to qualify a 2026 ballot measure to make hunting a crime.

The Michigan ruling was not unanimous and the lone dissenting judge left the door open for future consideration.

“This case raises profound questions about bodily autonomy and whether the law should expand to offer protection to other living beings,” Justice Welch wrote in a dissenting opinion, as reported by Michigan Advance. “Because the common law can evolve over time and indeed has evolved with respect to habeas relief, and because our scientific understanding of the animal kingdom is constantly evolving, I believe that we should explore this issue further.”

Courts in California, Colorado, New York and Pennsylvania previously ruled human rights did not apply to monkeys, whales and elephants in those states.

About Hunt 2 Conserve 

Hunt 2 Conserve is a 501(c)4 nonprofit organization affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Its mission is to advance a legacy of hunting and conservation by educating, activating and developing stewards and defenders of these fundamentally American ideals. For more information, go to hunt2conserve.org.