Sandra (orangutan) facts for kids

Sandra is a female orangutan born on February 14, 1986. She was born at the Rostock Zoo in East Germany. Sandra now lives at the Center for Great Apes in Florida. She moved there in 2019 from the Buenos Aires Zoo in Argentina.

Sandra became famous because of a special court case in Argentina. This case asked if an orangutan could have legal rights, like a "nonhuman person."

Sandra's Early Life

Sandra was born on Valentine's Day in 1986. She is a mix of two types of orangutans: Borneo and Sumatra. This means she is a hybrid orangutan. When she was young, her name was Marisa.

Sandra moved to different zoos in Germany. Then, on September 17, 1994, she moved to Argentina. At the Buenos Aires Zoo, her name was changed to Sandra.

At the Buenos Aires Zoo, Sandra lived in a cage made of concrete and steel bars. She had a baby boy named Gembira in March 1999. Sadly, Sandra and Gembira were separated. Gembira was moved to a park in China. Sandra was also moved to Cordoba Zoo for a while. Zoos hoped she would have more babies with an orangutan named Max. But Sandra did not want to be with Max. She preferred to sit outside, even in the rain or snow.

Sandra lived alone for several years. During this time, an animal welfare group called AFADA started a court case for her. They wanted Sandra to have "personhood" rights.

Legal Rights for Sandra

On December 18, 2014, a court in Argentina called Sandra a "subject of rights." This was part of a case to try and free her from the zoo. The court did not free her then. But it did ask for an investigation into how the zoo treated her.

Later, on October 21, 2015, a judge named Elena Amanda Liberatori made an important decision. She ruled that Sandra is a "non-human person." The judge ordered the city of Buenos Aires to give Sandra what she needed. This was to help keep her mind active and healthy.

Many news reports first said Sandra was declared a "non-human person" in 2014. But this was an interpretation by the animal rights lawyers. The judge's ruling in 2015 made it official. The judge also said that Sandra would not have all the same rights as a human being. About a year later, another court in Buenos Aires changed this decision. They said Sandra was not a "non-human person."

In most places around the world, animals are seen as property. They do not have legal rights like people do. A "person" in law can sometimes be different from a "human being." For example, a company can be a legal "person."

Even though the "non-human person" ruling was changed, the court case helped Sandra. On October 21, 2015, Judge Liberatori said a group of experts would decide how Sandra would get her new rights. This decision eventually led to Sandra moving to a sanctuary.

In 2019, Sandra first went to the Sedgwick County Zoo in Kansas. She stayed there for a month to make sure she was healthy. Then, on November 5, 2019, she arrived at the Center for Great Apes in Florida. The director of the sanctuary, Patti Regan, said Sandra is "very sweet and inquisitive." She was shy at first. But when she saw the swings, toys, and grassy areas, she started to explore her new home.

See also

In Spanish: Sandra (orangután) para niños

• List of individual apes