In a benchmark animal rights case this week, an orangutan who has spent the entirety of her life in zoos has now been declared a "nonhuman person" by a court and will be transferred to an animal sanctuary, Reuters reports.

Sandra, a 29-year-old Sumatran orangutan, was born into captivity in Germany and then sent to a zoo in Buenos Aires, where she has lived for the entirety of her life. The case is expected to set a precedent for further arguments in favor of freeing captive animals with "human qualities."

Via Reuters:

Animal rights campaigners filed a habeas corpus petition - a document more typically used to challenge the legality of a person's detention or imprisonment - in November on behalf of Sandra, a 29-year-old Sumatran orangutan at the Buenos Aires zoo.

In a landmark ruling that could pave the way for more lawsuits, the Association of Officials and Lawyers for Animal Rights (AFADA) argued the ape had sufficient cognitive functions and should not be treated as an object.

Another case that drew some attention earlier this year—the case to grant Tommy the chimpanzee the right to freedom—was thrown out in early December.

According to Reuters, the Buenos Aires Zoo has ten days to seek an appeal for the decision.

[Image via AP]