The concept of legal rights for animals is nascent but growing. In 2014, an Argentine court recognized an orangutan named Sandra as a "non-human person" with the right to freedom from captivity. In 2022, New York’s highest court ruled that two chimpanzees could not be considered legal persons, but the case itself marked a milestone—arguing habeas corpus (the right against unlawful detention) on behalf of animals was now on the judicial record.
Legally, most of the world treats animals as . You can own a dog, sell a cow, and euthanize a rat. However, over the past 50 years, laws have shifted away from pure property status toward recognizing animals as sentient property . The concept of legal rights for animals is