# Happy Birthday, Sandra!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-sandra/848015>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [February 16, 2020, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-sandra/848015 "2020-02-16T06:43:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\
**Post date:** [February 16, 2020, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happy-birthday-sandra/848015/1 "2020-02-16T06:43:06Z")

</div>

[Sandra turned 34!](https://apnews.com/f5bf0834c9363563815318ca37b3de8a)

> [@](#):
>
> A orangutan named Sandra, who was granted legal personhood by a judge in Argentina and later found a new home in Florida, celebrated her 34th birthday on Valentine’s Day with a special new primate friend.
> 
> Patti Ragan, director of the Center for Great Apes in Wauchula, Florida, says Sandra “has adjusted beautifully to her life at the sanctuary” and has befriended Jethro, a 31-year-old male orangutan.
> 
> Prior to coming to Florida, Sandra had lived alone in a Buenos Aires zoo. Sandra was a bit shy when she arrived at the Florida center, which is home to 22 orangutans.

> [@](#):
>
> Judge Elena Liberatori’s landmark ruling in 2015 declared that Sandra is legally not an animal, but a non-human person, and thus entitled to some legal rights enjoyed by people, and better living conditions.
> 
> “With that ruling I wanted to tell society something new, that animals are sentient beings and that the first right they have is our obligation to respect them,” she told The Associated Press.
> 
> But without a clear alternative, Sandra remained at the antiquated zoo, which closed in 2016, until leaving for the U.S. in late September. She was in quarantine for a month at the Sedgwick County Zoo in Kansas before arriving in Florida.
> 
> On Friday, Sandra celebrated her birthday, complete with pink signs and wrapped packages. Jethro, who was once in the entertainment business, attended the party.

I was quite pleased with the ruling back in 2015 and I’m delighted to know that Sandra is healthy, safe and in a place with other people who will help her care for herself.