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A court in America is deciding whether a chimpanzee should have the same legal rights as a person.

An animal rights group is arguing that a chimp called Tommy is being unlawfully imprisoned and want him to be moved from private ownership to a sanctuary.

Tommy's owner says the chimp lives in a state of the art facility.

It's thought to be the first case like this to ask for an animal to have similar rights to a human.

If the New York court rules in Tommy's favour it could lead to other cases asking for more rights for other high intelligence animals such as dolphins and elephants.

We want to know what you think.

Should animals have the same legal protections as people or not?

Which rights if any do you think should apply to animals as well as people?

Your comments

Yes, animals should have the same right as humans because they are as incredible as us.

Hannah, Leicester, England

I think that only monkeys, cats, dolphins, dogs and elephants; basically smart animals should have rights.

Rhea

Yes because chimps are so much like us and share 98% of our DNA.

William, Hampshire, England

I think apes should have the same rights as humans. Just because they are animals doesn't mean they should be treated differently.

Micky, Manchester, England

I think that the chimpanzee should be set free and given rights as all animals deserve rights.

Richard, Highbridge, England

We think that animals should have some human rights attached to them. Such as the right to live in their natural habitat in safety. They should not worry about being imprisoned. They should be able to live their lives freely without interference from humans.

8W, Robert May's School

I find that animals should have the same legal protection than that people who have because animals also have a life.

Amber

All animals should have the right to freedom like humans do. Not just the intelligent ones!

5N, Wessex Gardens Primary School, London

We think that animals should have the same rights as us because they are like us but we are more developed. Animals also have the right to be protected from harmful things, just like we are.

6CB, The Willows Primary School, Manchester

I think that animals have the right to enjoy their lives.

Sharon, The Netherlands

We agree that animals should have the same rights as humans because they are intelligent, we evolved from apes and no one should benefit from another living creature's distress.

Y9 Medina College, Isle of Wight

I think that animals need freedom but they don't have the same rights as us.

Sem, The Netherlands

I think that all animals should have the same rights as we do because they live on the same planet as us.

Francesca, Liverpool, England

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