Aggiornamento sulla Spagna e le scimmie

David Rennie descrive, con dettagli inediti, gli ultimi sviluppi dell’iniziativa spagnola di estendere alcuni diritti fondamentali alle grandi scimmie («Drive to give ‘human’ rights to apes leaves Spanish divided», The Telegraph, 10 giugno 2006; dalla lettura dell’articolo la Spagna non sembra poi così divisa).

Spain could soon become the first country in the world to give chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and other great apes some of the fundamental rights granted to human beings under a law being proposed by members of the ruling Socialist coalition.
The law would eliminate the concept of “ownership” for great apes, instead placing them under the “moral guardianship” of the state, much as is the case for children in care, the severely handicapped and those in comas, said the MP behind the project, Francisco Garrido.
Great apes held in Spanish zoos would be moved to state-built sanctuaries, unless there was a risk that moving them would harm their emotional welfare, he said.
The law would also make it a criminal offence to mistreat or kill a great ape, except in cases of self-defence or medical euthanasia.