VIENNA, Austria — In some ways, Hiasl is like any other Viennese: He indulges a weakness for pastry, likes to paint and enjoys chilling out by watching TV.
But he doesn't care for coffee, and he isn't actually a person — at least not yet.
In a closely watched test case that could set a global legal precedent for granting basic rights to apes, Austrian animal rights advocates are waging an unusual court battle to get the 26-year-old male chimpanzee legally declared a "person."
Hiasl's supporters argue that he needs that status to become a legal entity who can receive donations and get a guardian to look out for his interests.
"Our main argument is that Hiasl is a person and has basic legal rights," said Eberhart Theuer, a lawyer leading the challenge on behalf of the Association Against Animal Factories, a Vienna animal rights group.
"We mean the right to life, the right to not be tortured, the right to freedom under certain conditions," Theuer said."
These but of course are the same loons who think it's perfectly fine to kill a baby, but that chimps need protection.
Lunatics. Running. Asylum.
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