What if we lived in a world where “Earth rights” or “nature rights” as the resources of nature would not be used, owned, or degraded including wildlife?
Recently, Ecuador has become the first country in the world to give rights to individual wildlife.
This decision comes after a woolly monkey, named Estrellita was taken out of the wild at one month old to live with Ana Beatriz Burbano Proaño
and her family. After 18 years of living with this family, the monkey was seized by local authorities to live in a zoo. Within a month of living in the zoo, Estrellita died from cardiac arrest.
Prior to her death, the family filed a case to get Estrellita back, stating the monkey was probably experiencing distress from being separated from the family. The court ruled that both the authorities and the family violated Estrellita’s rights stating;
"The domestication and humanization of wild animals are phenomena that have a great impact on the maintenance of ecosystems and the balance of nature, as they cause the progressive decline of animal populations."
This ruling to include “nature rights” within a country’s constitutions such as Ecuador is a beacon of light for other countries to step up. We are seeing the sixth mass extinction we are currently experiencing and climate change are interdependent. As we see wildlife’s right to exist, especially keystone species that support ecosystems which we rely on for the health of the planet, we realize our interconnectedness to all beings and nature. Once that realization happens, we can actually make real change for the planet and ourselves.
Reference:
https://www.sciencealert.com/the-first-country-in-the-world-has-given-legal-rights-to-individual-wild-animals/amp
