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‘Laying the groundwork’ or ‘frivolous’ quest — After Colorado Supreme Court decision, what’s next in elephant case

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11min 57sec
Missy, the oldest elephant at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, stands in the main outdoor elephant yard.
Molly Condit for the Nonhuman Rights Project

Last week the Colorado Supreme Court ruled that five elephants at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs did not hold the same rights as humans and therefore didn't have a legal right to pursue their release. The court upheld a lower court decision in a case brought by an animal rights group, the Nonhuman Rights Project. While the zoo said in a statement following the decision that the lawsuit was "frivolous," Jake Davis, an attorney for the NRP said it, and similar -- albeit it, losing -- efforts at other zoos around the country are the first step in a movement to overcome the status quo.