• “It has a legal right to live in the wild,” said the NY judge.
• The New York State Court of Appeals, in its June 14 ruling, referred to the IHC CJ’s verdict.
• IHC CJ had directed to transfer the lone elephant, Kaavan, to its respective sanctuary.

A judge of a New York court, citing the landmark decision of the Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court (IHC) Athar Minallah in the case pertaining to an elephant, said that an elephant kept in the Bronx Zoo for decades should be kept in the wild.

“It has a legal right to live in the wild,” said the NY judge while hearing a plea filed by the animal rights group, Non-Human Rights Project.

The New York State Court of Appeals, in its June 14 ruling, referred to the IHC CJ’s verdict, who on May 20, 2020, had directed to transfer the lone elephant, Kaavan, and other animals to their respective sanctuaries from the Marghazar Zoo.

Read more: IHC CJ adjourns hearing of rare animals case till Sept 8

One of the paragraphs taken from Justice Athar Minallah’s verdict, which was included in the US court’s ruling, reads: “An animal is without a doubt an emotional creature. It has emotions and can feel pain or happiness. By nature, each species has its own natural habitat. They need separate facilities and environment for their behavior, social and physical needs. This is how they were created. Separating the elephant from the herd is not what nature intends. Animals, like humans, have natural rights that must be recognized. ”

Continuing the IHC’s decision, it said, “It is the right of every animal, every living thing, to live in an environment that meets their behavioral and physical needs.”

The applicants who were seeking to keep the elephant as a captive lost by a 5-2 majority.

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