Elephant Ruled to be “On Par” With Humans

An Indian court has granted damages to the owner of an elephant killed in an auto accident because the pachyderm was “on par” with a human because it could obey commands and do tricks, etc.

Well, then the owner had better be charged with slavery, because you can’t own humans but you can elephants.

I am not saying the owner should not have been compensated for his loss, but this gets awfully close to the idea of “wrongful death.” Sure, it’s India. But it is also a denial of human exceptionalism.

Next
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Of Roots and Adventures

Peter J. Leithart

I have lived in Ohio, Michigan, Georgia (twice), Pennsylvania, Alabama (also twice), England, and Idaho. I left…

Our Most Popular Articles of 2025

The Editors

It’s been a big year for First Things. Our website was completely redesigned, and stories like the…

Our Year in Film & Television—2025

Various

First Things editors and writers share the most memorable films and TV shows they watched this year.…