Five elephants at a Colorado zoo may be “majestic” but, since they're not human, they do not have the legal right to pursue their release, Colorado’s highest court said Tuesday. The ruling from the Colorado Supreme Court follows a similar court defeat in New York in 2022 for an elephant named Happy at the Bronx Zoo in a case brought

History will look upon this ruling as a grave injustice,” animal law professor and director of the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project Justin Marceau said.

The court ruled Tuesday that elephants couldn't be released because animals don't have the same rights as humans. The group that filed the suit said that the animals were experiencing stress, physical issues,

A Colorado court rejected efforts to free five elephants using a legal process for human detainees, writing that it “boils down to whether an elephant is a person.”

The high court rejected arguments that elephants qualify as “persons” under state law and suggested animal advocates turn to the legislative branch to expand legal rights.