But They Seem So Human
It’s official. Chimpanzees are not human beings. So ruleth Austria's Supreme Court. The court recently rejected a petition to appoint a trustee for the chimp, shown at the left, named Matthew Hiasl Pan. The case arose when Pan’s shelter declared bankruptcy. Animal rights activists wanted to ensure Pan and his roommate Rosi didn’t wind up homeless but, under Austrian law, personal gifts could not be made to animals. Some clever member of the group thought the solution was to have the chimp declared a person. The court, however, failed to play along.
Interestingly, both chimps were captured as babies in Sierra Leone and were smuggled into Austria to be used in pharmaceutical experiments. Customs officers intercepted the shipment and placed Pan and Rosi in the animal shelter.
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