Should elephants be given the same rights as people?

Kimba and Lucky at the zoo in Colorado Springs. Pic/AP

Missy, Kimba, Lucky, LouLou, and Jambo have lived in Colorado Springs for decades in the elephant exhibit at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. Now an animal rights group is trying to release the elephants from what they say is essentially a prison for such highly intelligent and social animals known to roam for miles a day in the wild.

Colorado's highest court will hear arguments on Thursday on whether the older African female elephants should be legally able to challenge their captivity under a long-held process used by prisoners to dispute their detention.

The animal rights group NonHuman Rights Project says the animals are languishing while "unlawfully confined" at the zoo, and wants them sent to an elephant sanctuary.

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