An anonymous reader writes: A Brazilian court already has issued a write of habeus corpus in the name of a chimp. And now a case in Germany may well decide that a chimpanzee is a "person" with what up until now have been called human rights. From the story in the Guardian/Observer:
"He recognises himself in the mirror, plays hide-and-seek and breaks into fits of giggles when tickled. He is also our closest evolutionary cousin.
A group of world leading primatologists argue that this is proof enough that Hiasl, a 26-year-old chimpanzee, deserves to be treated like a human. In a test case in Austria, campaigners are seeking to ditch the 'species barrier' and have taken Hiasl's case to court. If Hiasl is granted human status — and the rights that go with it — it will signal a victory for other primate species and unleash a wave of similar cases."