NYC Animal Rights

Please join the Nonhuman Rights Project on June 1st as we rally in support of freedom for our elephant client Happy, a wild-born elephant held alone in captivity at the Bronx Zoo. WHAT: Rally for Happy’s Freedom WHEN: 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. WHERE: Bronx Zoo, meet at Asia gate entrance (Gate A) WHY: Join the NhRP in raising awareness about Happy’s plight and letting the Bronx Zoo know it’s time for it to close its elephant exhibit and send Happy to an elephant sanctuary. During the rally, NhRP attorneys and other staff will give updates on our litigation on behalf of Happy and other efforts to obtain rights for autonomous nonhuman animals. We’ll provide signs for attendees but please feel free to bring your own. Please wear dark colors and remember that this is a peaceful and respectful demonstration. This is an event where we band together to advocate for the end of Happy’s imprisonment. With the NhRP’s landmark elephant rights litigation on Happy’s behalf headed to Bronx County, home of the Bronx Zoo, we are calling for recognition of Happy’s right to liberty and her transfer to an elephant sanctuary. As we have argued in court with the support of world-renowned elephant experts, elephants are autonomous beings who suffer deeply when deprived of their freedom and prevented from interacting with other elephants. Thirteen years after the Bronx Zoo and the entity that operates it, the Wildlife Conservation Society, acknowledged it would be “inhumane to sustain an exhibit with a single elephant,” Happy still spends every day alone. In the winter months, she lives in a cage in a holding facility. Happy is the first elephant in the world to demonstrate self-awareness via the mirror self-recognition test. In December of 2018, two months after the NhRP filed a habeas corpus petition on her behalf, she became the first elephant in the world to have a habeas corpus hearing to determine the lawfulness of her imprisonment. Happy’s court case is ongoing, and we hope the Bronx County Supreme Court will promptly order a hearing to consider the injustice being visited on her as an imprisoned autonomous being. In February, the Orleans County Supreme Court decided to transfer Happy’s case to Bronx County, which we continue to view as a serious legal error; we make clear in our court filings that, according to New York habeas corpus procedure, we had the right to file in any county in the state and that we filed suit in Orleans County because the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, Fourth Judicial Department of which that Court is a part had correctly rejected tying legal personhood to being human. In April, the Fourth Judicial Department denied appellate review on the issue of venue in Happy’s case, meaning the transfer will move forward and the ball is now in the Bronx County Supreme Court. As with all our clients, we are fully confident in the justice of our arguments and prepared to continue the fight for Happy’s right to liberty and her release to a sanctuary wherever it takes us. Whether through litigation or mounting public pressure, the Bronx Zoo must do the right thing for Happy and release her to one of the two operational sanctuaries in the US: the Performing Animal Welfare Society or the Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee. See you on the 1st! RSVP here or email Courtney Fern at [masked].

Please come out to Freeport, Long Island to protest this cruel "sport!" Meet at John Randall Park in Freeport, Long Island at the sourtheast corner of Guy Lombardo Ave. and Front St., next to Woodcleft Canal. Any questions, please reach out to Carol at[masked]. The demo is from 2p-4p but can go longer if interested. What happens to the shark at a tournament? Once the shark is hooked, it fights for its life in a contest that can take anywhere from a half to two hours to bring the shark to the boat – all the while these highly developed and sensitive animals suffer intense pain.. Once alongside the boat, the shark is gaffed with a metal hook anywhere on its body to haul it into the boat. The shark’s death agony is not over yet since it is still alive and thrashing around the boat. Fishermen have to be careful with the shark at this point since it can still bite. Therefore, some will take a club and start beating the shark to death. Some will stick a knife deep into the shark’s back in an attempt to cut the spinal cord but they often miss their mark, which means more further suffering for the shark – all for the meaningless cause of becoming a trophy for the fisherman. The fishermen then heads back to the dock to weigh the shark so that it can be compared to the hundreds of other sharks that have also gone through this treatment. Sharks can live for a couple of hours out of the water because their tissues can hold a tremendous amount of oxygen. Therefore, they can still be alive once they are brought back to the dock. From the boat, they are hauled onto a yard arm to be weighed. At this point, the shark is cut down and then, this creature that is so crucial to the oceans, is thrown in the garbage. The spectacle, akin to any Roman coliseum event, is a complete waste of the shark’s life. The sharks are not used for food or any meaningful purpose – their carcasses are disposed in dumpsters like trash. The sole purpose of these tournaments is an exercise in vanity for weekend warriors. Shark tournaments are killing sharks at a rate that is unsustainable. In fact, many species of sharks are not in danger of extinction, and it is illegal in many countries to fish for certain endangered species, such as Great Whites. Since many sharks can not breed for years after birth until they weigh several hundred pounds, sharks are being removed from the oceans before they can generate the next generation. These tournaments put dangerous pressure on the shark population. Unlike bony fish that lay millions of eggs, sharks bear a few live young so once the population crashes, it is almost impossible for them to recover. In addition, with commercial fishing devastating shark populations, sharks are threatened unlike they have never beennever before. According to scientific findings in the peer-reviewed journal Marine Policy, the number of sharks killed each year in commercial fisheries is estimated at 100 million, with a range between 63 million and 273 million. The authors also warn that the rate of fishing for shark species, many of which grow slowly and reproduce late in life, exceeds their ability to recover. [Information taken from the website of Ocean Guardian: http://www.ocean-guardian.org/shark-tournaments]

Please join The Animals' Battalion, in solidarity with the animal activists in China fighting to end the Yulin festival and the dog and cat trade completely. When: Friday June 21, 2019 Where: Consulate General of the Peoples Republic of China[masked]th Ave, New York, New York 10036 Time: 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm (Consulate Hours: Open · 9:00 am – 05:00 pm) “The consumption of dog meat does have historical precedence in China. At its height during the Han Dynasty (202 - 220 AD), dog meat was considered a delicacy. Yet, dog eating soon lost favor and by the Sui-Tang dynasties (581 -- 907 AD), dog eating had been rejected as an indecent habit. Subsequent dynasties valued dogs as helpers and hunting partners. However, to this day every year, an estimated 10 million dogs are killed for their meat in China. The Yulin Dog Meat Festival, which happens every year on the summer solstice, is a particularly gruesome display of the dog meat trade. This "festival," where some 10,000 dogs are slaughtered and served up as meals, is often wrongly assumed to be an ancient Chinese tradition. In fact, the festival only dates back to 2009 when it was launched in the city in China's southwest to celebrate the summer solstice.” Stop Yulin Forever https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1jjK2UyDrY (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DR1jjK2UyDrY&h=ATNMCvzuB-pl-ReBgJ5E6ILIfEQ6JLiAlU6ahJM98SGiML3v5XvsmZNU3AjOfsxCXD9-zdlSj4LaJ0PY5wJZqhsr24qm2yIVCdDtFPDxAuhkjuyzHTlgaiPraLfIWYs2ou5yP_G8RogEcL94ph0&enc=AZO9mx-zgd-H5KJUu5xGOhiOkPxPdjR-6GNL9jAtF37XRfE4oheYzyWwCMPvGlOjoR8&s=1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzXL9AS9Ovo (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DhzXL9AS9Ovo&h=ATPEVJyHSmgHswe-G550dBKhmMRfJPm0teXaq_yz0T7yceyQqtDoq9M-92yNuTYZJtNSefGyknQ2Eu4QUG6DuLTS79VbzyVbC5k3MnSY7XGM7K_4iwr4RpddI1kbthHS5KpunkagxsvnT2YL2Sk&enc=AZMl3Astl6G_axqLF3Onb90iFaaRNi-6LWo6cUEFYjbJhApDbtSWwpNF3uWpZHOj-OI&s=1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQLRvCsXKOY (https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DeQLRvCsXKOY&h=ATO4GMNTdshlS9q5YRq5kL1MPyHorNgqkAu3Cf6VHIQq1d5TwklsB9ku9mzDZShA2I3Bds59yP4YCYpyiTqgSdsG1yZZA1gMlvtRBTrewLN3miQtNZQr0GogvRXfoMT6vd0iX-eE3dHTehJ3FR8&enc=AZMrXLhiLovMA3RqvRuFLzgimc7zzjyXhVRGcW3kgXNwMqnWSMno5gi95BYf8F8YP14&s=1) “Many of the animals killed are stolen pets some of which have been seen still wearing their collars. Slaughtering takes place in front of the live animals, usually with a club to induce the pain and fear that some restaurant owners claim makes their adrenaline-rich meat tastier. Opinion is turning against the festival. Since 2014, the local government has sought to disassociate itself from the event, forbidding its employees from attending and limiting its size by shutting down some dog markets and slaughter houses. Chinese activists have held protests around the country to oppose dog eating and outrage on social media is also having an effect. Dog meat restaurants have been forced to take the festival indoors and large-scale open air dog meat consumption is no longer seen. However, Chinese activists have said a draft animal cruelty law remains mired in China's legislature and prosecution of dog thieves and those violating animal transport laws remains lax.” http://www.independent.co.uk/

We're so excited to bring you the 2nd Annual Can I Live Animal Rights Music Festival. We'll be back at The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn to kick off Summer 2019 and bring veganism to the masses. Get ready for performances from these incredible vegan artists! Ameliarose Allen Brother Jerome Rachel Lynn Kiirstin Marilyn Babe Patrol Freakquencee TK The Artist Philly Stallone with DJ Candace V spinning in between acts! Plus more TBA! Proceeds this year will benefit Lewis Oliver Farm Sanctuary and LION! Check out video from our 2018 event! https://youtu.be/_rsemrB8640 https://youtu.be/MxVkMfk2wYQ