Not only do they help thin herds so there's less competition for limited resources among animals like deer, but hunting license fees help fund government efforts to protect these animals. One anti-hunting group has apparently never learned that lesson. Animal rights activists seeking to rewrite centuries of law by declaring animals “legal persons” suffered yet another courtroom defeat after the Michigan Supreme Court declined to hear the Nonhuman Rights Project’s (NhRP) latest habeas corpus appeal. Michigan Joins a Growing List of Courts The Michigan Court of Appeals previously ruled that the chimpanzees could not pursue habeas corpus because animals are not recognized as legal persons under longstanding common law. No more animal-based protein, which wouldn't be good news for your humble yet magnificent gun writer with a soy allergy.