Orangutan awarded with 'nonhuman' personhood arrives in Florida

An orangutan named Sandra who was awarded the 'nonhuman' personhood rights back in 2015 has now arrived at the Centre for Great Apes in Florida as recent court ruling does not allow her on exhibit in the zoo. The 33-year-old orangutan was earlier living in the Buenos Aires Zoo, Argentina but she was ordered to move to a sanctuary in the US as there are no orangutan sanctuaries in Argentina. Sandra reportedly arrived in the US earlier this month as she is a hybrid mix of Bornean and Sumatran orangutans and the Argentinian judge wanted her to live at an accredited facility. 

Her arrival in the US has further raised the hopes of US activists who are trying to match the success of lawyers who turn to the courts to fight for animal rights around the world. Matthew Liebman the director of litigation for the northern California-based Animal Legal Defense Fund told an international media outlet that the animal law movement has always focused on using the legal system and the most remarkable progress that they've seen has been outside of the US that too with Sandra case in South America. Many activists also believe that Sandra's most important role in the US will be as a symbol. 

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Centre for Great Apes

According to an international media outlet, Sandra will be enjoying an aerial network of tunnels and her own heated and cooled indoor and outdoor spaces at the Center for Great Apes. Her lifestyle reportedly will cost approximately $20,000 per year. The director of the centre said that Sandra won't be pushed into mating, however, the centre has more than 60 possible companions in the sanctuary if Sandra is interested. The director, Ragan further hopes that Sandra chooses Jethro, a male orangutan who is 'very sweet, quiet male'.

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