State legislative records and news reports

Colorado Supreme Court Denies Release of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo Elephants, Not Legal Persons

Jan 22, 2025, 02:47 AM

The Colorado Supreme Court has ruled that elephants at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs are not 'legal persons' under the law, thereby denying them the right to seek their release from the zoo. The court's unanimous decision upholds a previous ruling by the El Paso County District Court. The case was brought by the Nonhuman Rights Project, which argued that the elephants—Missy, Kimba, Lucky, LouLou, and Jambo—born in the wild in Africa, have shown signs of brain damage due to their confinement, which they likened to a prison. The group sought to have the elephants transferred to one of the two accredited elephant sanctuaries in the United States. However, the zoo contended that moving the elephants at their age would be cruel and cause unnecessary stress, as they are not accustomed to larger herds. The Nonhuman Rights Project criticized the ruling as perpetuating an injustice and vowed to continue their fight for nonhuman rights.