(Photo Courtesy of WPXI/WPXI)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Pittsburgh, PA) A lawsuit from an animal rights group against the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium is now moving forward. The Nonhuman Rights Project (NhRP) submitted a habeas corpus petition in the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas for the release of five female African elephants in October of 2025. NhRP alleges harm to the elephant by zoo practices, including restraint, early separation of mothers and calves and disruption of bonded groups. Common Pleas Judge Mary C. McGinley issued a habeas corpus order on the elephants’ behalf yesterday. The Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium has claimed that with accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, its elephants are thriving under the highest standards of care.  McGinley also set a hearing for January 28th, 2026 on the motion of the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium to dismiss the petition from the NhRP, and if the motion is denied, the zoo would need to justify the confinement of the elephants at a full hearing on March 2nd, 2026. According to the NhRP, this is the first habeas corpus order for “nonhuman animals” in Pennsylvania history, and the third in U.S. history.