Chimp should be legal person--say animal rights activists.

by Ich bin Ala-awkbarph Fri May 23, 2008 2:13 pm

"Chimp should be a legal person," animal rights activists say.

CNA ^ | 5/23/2008
Strausburg, May 23, 2008 / 02:49 am (CNA).-

Animal rights advocates are appealing to the European Court of Human Rights to declare a 26-year-old chimpanzee named Matthew to be a legal person. British teacher Paula Stibbe and activists with the Vienna-based Association Against Animal Factories want to declare Matthew a person so that Stibbe may be appointed his legal guardian if the bankrupt animal sanctuary where Matthew lives in Vienna shuts down, the Evening Standard says. Matthew lives with another chimpanzee and a crocodile in an animal shelter. The shelter requires about $8,000 each month in expenses.

A few questions come to mind: If a chimpanzee is a person, would a chimp who kills a rival chimp be a murderer? Would he or she be tried by a jury of his/her peers? If he or she abandons their infant, should they be charged with child neglect? Should a chimp who steals food be incarcerated?

How does Ms Stibbe know that the crocodile she rooms with is not a a chimp trapped in a croc's body? CRIKEY! Listen SM (Species Misassignment) is a serious problem! DON'T LAUGH! Have you never considered that a dog that humps a human's leg MIGHT just be a human trapped in a canine body??