: Many countries have established welfare laws, such as India’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960 UK’s Animal Welfare Act , which penalize neglect and active cruelty. 2. Defining Animal Rights: The Ethics of Personhood

Animal rights, by contrast, is a more radical philosophical position. It argues that animals have an inherent right to live free from human exploitation and use. Proponents believe that animals are not "property" or "resources," but "persons" in a legal or moral sense.

However, the rights movement has made surprising legal inroads. The (NhRP) has filed habeas corpus petitions—a legal action reserved for persons, not things—on behalf of captive chimpanzees and elephants. In 2022, the NhRP won a landmark ruling for an elephant named Happy, with the New York Court of Appeals ruling that while Happy was not a person, the case highlighted the evolving standard of animal sentience.