Activists Want Chimp Declared a 'Person'

[Francisco Montana]

Activists Want Chimp Declared a 'Person'

May 4 12:24 PM US/Eastern
By WILLIAM J. KOLE
Associated Press Writer

VIENNA, Austria (AP) - In some ways, Hiasl is like any other Viennese: He indulges a weakness for pastry, likes to paint and enjoys chilling out watching TV.
But he doesn't care for coffee, and he isn't actually a person—at least not yet.

In a case that could set a global legal precedent for granting basic rights to apes, animal rights advocates are seeking to get the 26- year-old male chimpanzee legally declared a "person."

Hiasl's supporters argue he needs that status to become a legal entity that can receive donations and get a guardian to look out for his interests.

"Our main argument is that Hiasl is a person and has basic legal rights," said Eberhart Theuer, a lawyer leading the challenge on behalf of the Association Against Animal Factories, a Vienna animal rights group.

"We mean the right to life, the right to not be tortured, the right to freedom under certain conditions," Theuer said.

Full Article

[hsimoorb]

Hell, if corporations can be people, why not things that are actualy alive?

[boofhead]

Fine. But they must be held responsible for their actions like humans too. That means monkey-jail for exposing their genitals in public; theft for stealing food; malicious damage for messing up places...and on and on and on. Give them human status then lock them up for good.

[danzig]

I want to be declared a chimp then so I can live in a zoo and throw crap at people and not get in trouble for it. Seriously if you read the story its not as stupid as the headline sounds since there is a reason they want it done so they can provide donations to take care of the chimp which evidently is illegal there unless its a person. Wrong way to go about it but shrug.

[Francisco Montana]

Seriously if you read the story its not as stupid as the headline sounds since there is a reason they want it done so they can provide donations to take care of the chimp which evidently is illegal there unless its a person.

I saw that too. I just don't understand why you can't make donations to a fund to help the chimp out. Rather than change the law to recognize the chimp as a human (good points made so far here about that) why not just change the laws to allow a guardian (I'm the 'guardian of our cats, for instance.)

[removeduser_426582376423734]

Activists want a lotta things. And 28 Days Later taught us that activists should NEVER get it.

[Oldgamer]

Fine. But they must be held responsible for their actions like humans too. That means monkey-jail for exposing their genitals in public; theft for stealing food; malicious damage for messing up places...and on and on and on. Give them human status then lock them up for good.

And let's not forget that they are omnivorous, and often kill and eat people in Africa. Such an act should be punished with life imprisonment w/o parole, or the death penalty, if the creature is a "person".

[The Pope]

After seeing the ratings things like big brother get, I'd say there are a whole lot of people out there with less right to call themselves human than this chimp

[boofhead]

I would have thought animal protection laws would cover everything necessary.

[danzig]

I would have thought animal protection laws would cover everything necessary.

Evidently not, the animal sanctuary he lived in went bankrupt. Does seem odd there isnt an alternative to caring for the chimp.

[boofhead]

Evidently not, the animal sanctuary he lived in went bankrupt. Does seem odd there isnt an alternative to caring for the chimp.

Maybe he is selfish and wants to own this "person" then. Why not give it away to a non-bankrupt sanctuary, or even better if he cares so much, to a sanctuary in AFRICA.

At least it would get the poor fellow out of that prison I see him in in the photo.

[Thanatos]

People are people. Not chimps.

[Cluny the Scourge]

Mr. Hiasl Chimp is probably far worthier of the title 'person' than some so-called 'people' I have encountered, who are little more than dogs who should be ridden down and utterly destroyed. In my view real people are often too generous in judging others on this score.

And I don't think it has been suggested Mr. Hiasl Chimp might be infected with a Rage-virus, or any other engineered bioweapon that Austria might be testing on animals.

[enoch]

california has already passed laws that roughly state that humans do not own their pets, and that the pets legal standing lies in the no man's land between property and having its own individual rights

[Tecumseh]

When chimps invent agriculture and space shuttles, then we can talk.

Although, when I see chimps using tools like rocks and sticks, I'll admit I get worried. The first thing I think when I see a chimp using a stick to get bugs or whatever out of a termite mound, is I think "somebody should stab that monkey". I've seen Planet of the Apes....

I don't think we should be giving them rights, we should be slaughtering them en masse, and stopping this threat before it's too late.

[Blau&Gruen]

The case teaches, that to have personality and to be a person are not the same.
You can have personality without being a person.
It is an interesting case.
Wrong? I will ask my cat.

[Icefrisco]

i dont find anything wrong with what they are doing because they just want a chimp to not starve to death. plus chimps are genetically very close to humans.

[Sétanta]

That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Sure the Chimp should be cared for, but a person? Yeah right.

[Blau&Gruen]

They could create a non-profit organization to collect the donnations for the animals.

[General Dissaray]

i dont find anything wrong with what they are doing because they just want a chimp to not starve to death. plus chimps are genetically very close to humans.

Human DNA is 75% the same as that of your comon night cwraler. Do you want to make them people too? Saying this chimp is a person is just a little ofencive to me. Not so much so that I will march in the streets over it, thought that would be the best march ever, but to say that a chimp has every leagal right I do is going a step to far. I don't think they should be neglected or beaten or shot or any thing like that. Perhaps people should look into whether or not they can aford to keep a chimp, or any other animal, befor they go out and get one so the damn thing dosen't need to colect donations so it can buy some person to take cair of it. All this new age anamal rights stuf is geting kind of rediculas, there are places in the world where you can't leagaly own a dog. Now you have to be the dog's partner or some other such nonsence. And for the love of God why are we giveing pets przach? There is some thing defanatly wrong with that.