His name is Naruto — a crested black Macaque from Indonesia. The primate became internationally famous through his selfies, and now Naruto stands to benefit financially from them.
Twenty-five percent of future revenue from the photos will go to organizations dedicated to protecting his habitat and species.
“This was a groundbreaking case that firmly establishes animal rights are firmly ingrained in the legal system here in the U.S. and internationally,” said PETA Attorney Jeffrey Kerr.
The settlement ends a two-year legal battle, which most recently was argued before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
“When you have a situation like this where they’ve created some intellectual property, in this case, were internationally famous photographs, Naruto, and his community should benefit from that just like any other photographer should,” Kerr added.
PETA hopes the money will go a long way in helping the black crested macaque, a species that is critically endangered.
