General Article Gorilla’s death calls for human responsibility, not animal personhood

Topic Selected: Animal Rights
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Gorilla’s death calls for human responsibility, not animal personhood

Richard L. Cupp, Pepperdine University

My reaction to the killing of Harambe the gorilla at the Cincinnati Zoo when a child went into the gorilla’s enclosure is probably typical: I am sickened and I am angry. This must not happen again.

One step that some advocates will surely press for in light of Harambe’s killing is to change our legal system to designate gorillas and other great apes such as chimpanzees as legal persons.

Expanding legal personhood to include intelligent nonhuman animals would give them legal rights, and would create standing for a human guardian to initiate legal actions on their behalf – much like children’s rights are protected in courts by guardians.

At first blush this may sound progressive and enlightened, but in reality the concept is fundamentally flawed and dangerous for society.

Turning to our legal system in responding to Harambe’s tragedy is the right approach, but our legal focus s...

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