An orangutan who was granted the same legal rights as a human in a landmark court case has finally arrived in the US after spending 20 years in an Argentine zoo.
Sandra – a hybrid orangutan of half Sumatran, half Bornean – became known across the world in 2015 when she was found to be Argentina’s first “nonhuman person with the right to liberty”.
But until this week – nearly five years later – Sandra remained at the site of the zoo, which closed in 2016 following reports of animal cruelty.
The 33-year-old has now arrived in Kansas and, after a quarantine period, is expected to become the new resident of the Center for Great Apes in Florida, a sanctuary much better suited to her needs.
Judge Elena Liberatori, who ruled over the landmark decision, said she will now be able to spend the rest of her life “in a more dignified situation”.
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