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Our mission and values

The NhRP is the only civil rights organization in the United States dedicated solely to securing rights for nonhuman animals.

Our groundbreaking work challenges an archaic, unjust legal status quo that views and treats all nonhuman animals as legal “things” with no rights. As with human rights, nonhuman rights are based on fundamental values and principles of justice such as liberty, autonomy, equality, and fairness.

The problem

Why do nonhuman animals need rights?
Chimpanzee reflecting behind wire

The term animal rights has been around a long time. But what does it actually mean?

It surprises many people to learn that nonhuman animals don’t actually have any enforceable legal rights. For centuries, the law has viewed them as legal “things” with no rights. And, of course, their legal status doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Throughout history, humans have tended to treat the nonhuman world, animals and nature alike, as property that has value only in relation to human need or experience. This mentality, including the idea that we are superior to other animals, is what makes it so easy to exploit nonhuman beings and their natural habitats.

Legally speaking, the rightlessness of nonhuman animals means that, for lawyers to help them in court, they have to make the case for how a human has been harmed by the nonhuman animal’s treatment or situation. If that sounds strange or unfair given all we know about nonhuman animals, that’s because it is, and many court cases that seek justice for nonhuman animals have been lost because of it.

That’s where we come in. Nonhuman animals need and are entitled to rights—actual legal rights, rather than symbolic declarations—and no being should be denied rights simply because of who they are. Simply put, the law has to catch up to what we know about nonhuman animals, and courts and legislatures have to begin figuring out which species are entitled to which rights on what basis. Until this happens, the law will remain chained to the past, nonhuman animals will continue to suffer under poorly enforced, insufficient, easily reversed animal welfare laws, and we humans are going to continue to destroy nonhuman lives and the planet we share with other beings.

Imagine a world where respect for freedom and dignity runs so deep we don’t hesitate to extend it to nonhuman animals. That’s the world we’re working to help build.

Our history

1995

Our founding

2013

Our first clients

2016

Mission and work expanded to include legislation

2017

First elephant clients

2022

Helped develop first federal legislation

Steven M. Wise teaching a class
Tommy the chimpanzee in a cage
“No one has ever demanded a legal right for a nonhuman animal, until now."
Steve Wise
NhRP
Steven Wise smiling with Paul Koretz in LA City Hall
People riding on an elephant's back
Humpback whales feeding in the ocean
"This bill is a bold, vital step forward in ensuring a future where whales are no longer deprived of their freedom in tanks and forced to live their lives on display."

Our initial clients

Elephant and baby

Elephants

Orangutan

Great apes

Orca pod

Cetaceans

Our team

Steven M. Wise

Steven
M. Wise

Founder and Emeritus Board Member
Gail Price-Wise

Gail
Price-Wise

Board Member
Jane Goodall

Jane
Goodall

Board Member
Jane R. Berkey

Jane
R. Berkey

Board Member
Christopher Berry

Christopher
Berry

Chief Programs Officer
Jeff Fraser

Jeff
Fraser

Board Member
Lauren Choplin

Lauren
Choplin

Senior Communications Director
Peggy Cusack

Peggy
Cusack

Acting Executive Director
Jake Davis

Jake
Davis

Staff Attorney
Courtney Fern

Courtney
Fern

Director of Government Relations and Campaigns
Spencer Lo

Spencer
Lo

Senior Staff Attorney
Monica Miller

Monica
Miller

Senior Staff Attorney
Shirley Shtiegman

Shirley
Shtiegman

International Coordinator
Elizabeth Stein

Elizabeth
Stein

Litigation Director

Frequently asked questions

Questions we're often asked about our mission, our clients, and how and why we do what we do.

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