Denmark bans bestiality, New York may rule that chimps are ‘legal persons’

Denmark passed legislation on Tuesday banning bestiality, toughening a law that animal rights activists feared was encouraging animal sex tourists to visit the country. The bill amends a previous ban on intercourse that harms animals, something Dutch Farm Minister Dan Jorgensen argued was difficult to prove. Animal rights campaigners including PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) petitioned Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt and Jorgensen to amend the legislation. Meanwhile in New York, an animal rights group has been granted a court hearing in which it will argue that two chimpanzees who live at a New York state university cannot be held captive because they are autonomous, intelligent creatures.

There are frequent reports of the occurrence of organized animal sex shows, clubs and animal brothels in Denmark.

Danish Ethical Council for Animals

In what it said was the first case of its kind in the world, the U.S. based Nonhuman Rights Project claims that because chimpanzees are autonomous, intelligent creatures, their captivity amounts to unlawful imprisonment under the law. They want the pair of chimps, who are used in research on physical movement at the university, to be sent to a sanctuary in Florida.

Odd News Chimpanzee