Happy the Elephant Dies

Happy, the 55-year-old Bronx Zoo elephant who was at the center of a landmark animal rights legal battle, has died.

The zoo confirmed she passed away following a period of hospice care for deteriorating kidney and liver function.

Happy became a global symbol for the Nonhuman Rights Project, which unsuccessfully argued in court that she should be recognized as a legal person with a right to bodily liberty.

Her death marks the end of an era for the zoo and the conclusion of one of the most significant legal challenges to the status of animals in captivity.