The story of Sandra, an orangutan, and Ceclia, a chimpanzee, who in 2014 gained freedom from appalling conditions in Argentine zoos following legal battles by the NGO Provecto Gran Simio. In order to obtain recognition of fundamental rights of all living beings – the right to life, the right to respect of dignity, and the right to freedom – the NGO’s lawyers had to overcome numerous obstacles: hostile reactions from the zoo directors and their mafia connections to illegal animal trafficking. Parallel to the reconstruction of this account is the investigation by photoreporter Candela into scientific evidence for the similarity between the great apes and humans. Are we ready to overcome the species barrier?
