The Great Ape Project seeks a world in which the
boundary between humans and all other species no longer divides those
beings who have basic rights from those who have none; nor those beings
who are legally persons from those who are merely property.
As a consequence:
* All great apes are recognized as having rights to life, to liberty,
and to protection from torture;
* Great apes in their native habitat are protected from human
interference;
* Great apes who cannot be returned to their natural rangelands live in
secure sanctuaries, free from harmful human experimentation or other
forms of exploitation.
With the softening of the ethical boundary between human
beings and their nearest relatives, we look forward to the commencement
of a fundamental reconsideration of the relationships between humans and
all other sentient beings.
GAP's MISSION
The Great Ape Project exists in order to act as a
catalyst for the realization of the vision outlined above. It seeks to
do this in the following concrete ways:
* Promoting the Declaration on Great Apes and obtaining signatures for
it.
* Spreading worldwide the ideas of the Great Ape Project and encouraging
the development of a network of national and regional organizations for
this purpose.
* Campaigning, either by ourselves or in alliance with other
organizations, to address the plight of great apes as individuals,
including those now in captivity, and those in danger in their native
habitat.
* Encouraging changes in the laws of every country to ensure that great
apes are not legally property, but instead beings whose intrinsic
interests and rights are recognized at law.
* Ultimately, gaining a United Nations Declaration on the Rights of
Great Apes.
GREAT APE PROJECT - International
http://www.enviroweb.org/gap/gaphome.html
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