26 Jun 2008

Apes Deserve Human Rights, Spanish Leaders Say

Spanish apes are one step closer to receiving the same rights to life and freedom humans have.

The environmental committee of Spain's parliament approved resolutions that urge the European country to comply with the Great Apes Project — a plan developed by philosophers and scientists who say the animals deserve the same rights as their closest genetic relatives, the Reuters news agency reported.

"This is a historic day in the struggle for animal rights and in defense of our evolutionary comrades, which will doubtless go down in the history of humanity," Pedro Pozas, Spanish director of the Great Apes Project, told Reuters. "We have no knowledge of great apes being used in experiments in Spain, but there is currently no law preventing that from happening."

FOXNews.com (photo:Oscar López Jiménez)