A New York state appeals court unanimously ruled Thursday that chimpanzees do not have the same legal rights as humans.
Writing for the five-judge panel, Justice Troy Weber wrote that even though chimps and humans share some of the same capabilities, it does not mean they can be “legally accountable for their actions.”
The animal advocacy group, The Nonhuman Rights Project, says it will take its case to a higher court.
The group is suing to move two chimps, Tommy and Kiko, from their captivity at a trailer park and a primate sanctuary in New York state to a bigger single facility in Florida.
The court said the group was not arguing against the chimps’ captivity, but asking that they be moved somewhere else.
