It’s time to talk about the elephants in the room.
Mari and Vaigai are the Honolulu Zoo’s two elephants, and they have a court hearing coming up — a public hearing at Punahou School that will mark a milestone for a legal battle over animal rights.
On Nov. 9th, an argument will be heard by the Hawaiʻi Supreme Court on the legality of their confinement in the Honolulu Zoo.
It’s the first time a state supreme court has considered a case like this.
To give more context, HPR spoke with retired UH Professor Victoria Anderson, who specializes in animal communication and speech technology.
She previously gave a talk on the background of the case in late September, and she makes her case on why residents should attend this historic legal event.
“They're inviting community involvement, and if we want to show community involvement, we need to be the community that steps up and is there,” she said, encouraging listeners to participate in the public hearing.
The lack of proper facilities with the quality of care necessary to provide a livable and enriching habitat for Mari and Vaigai was the primary reason the habeas corpus petition was filed, Anderson explained.
“Zoos may have very high intentions and best interests at heart, but if we compare the way that elephants live in the wild, as they evolved to live in the wild, with the way they are forced to live in captivity, there's such a night and day,” she told HPR.
What makes the case particularly unique is not only the fact that it’s the first of its kind to be brought before a state supreme court. It’s also the fact that it’s taking place in Hawaiʻi, where the “Aloha Spirit” is more than just a way of life — in this case, it’s the law.
“This is why Hawaiʻi is special in this regard,” Anderson said.
“Hawaiʻi is special because we're informed by Pono. We're informed by Native Hawaiian tradition as well in the law.”
More information about the elephants’ writ of habeas corpus, which was petitioned by the nonprofit organization Nonhuman Rights Project, can be found here.
This story aired on The Conversation on Oct. 5, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. Jinwook Lee adapted this story for the web.
