Great apes a step closer to rights

Villena – For decades Achille, 50, eked out a miserable existence living alone in wretched conditions in a cramped circus cage.

But better days could lie ahead for the chimpanzee and almost 150 great apes in Spain, who stand to benefit from a pioneering Bill that would strengthen laws safeguarding their well-being.

Animal rights activists hope the draft legislation will drive the debate on apes' legal status in Spain and beyond.

"Apes are like us, they are sociable animals," said Olga Bellon, a primate expert at the Primadomus foundation that took in Achille.

Putting them through the treatment Achille suffered "is inhumane," she said.

The initiative could "change our perception" of the mammals, who are genetically very close to humans, and better appreciate their needs, added Bellon.