04/07/23

Case: 

Case #4- Happy to Be Alone 

Questions to consider: 

• If the court were to accept that an elephant could be a person, what does this say about human-animal relationships (ex. owning pets, animal testing, etc.)? 

• What does it mean to be a person and how is that connected to sentience? 

Discussion questions: 

• Does the 2022 New York Court ruling that Happy cannot claim habeas corpus rights (and therefore, is not a legal person) mean that she is not a morally considerable person? 

• What are the moral implications of regarding some or all non-human animals as persons? 

• Are there ways to ensure the well-being of animals other than by granting personhood status? 

Links: 

Case