Should Chimpanzees Be Given Human Rights?

Austrian animal rights activists are asking a Vienna court to declare Hiasl, a chimpanzee caught in 1982 and for use in pharmaceutical research but sent to a now-bankrupt animal sanctuary, a person.

If granted personhood, Hiasl would be able to "accept" donations for his continued care; under Austrian law, only people are eligible to receive donations, making it possible that he could be sold into research again.

The basic case for Hiasl's personhood is this:

Chimpanzees can communicate with each other, make tools, display emotions and have shown the capacity to understand the passage of time. They also have their own culture, which varies from tribe to tribe and helps delineate individuals.