MENDOZA, ARGENTINA — A chimpanzee will be released from a zoo in Argentina after a judge made the landmark ruling that the ape is a being with “non-human rights” that deserve to be observed.

Cecilia the chimpanzee previously shared her enclosure with two companions, Charlie and Xuxu. Her friends passed away years ago, and ever since, Cecilia has been on her own in a filthy concrete habitat with only a blanket for cover, Argentinian news site Los Andes reported.

The chimpanzee, now aged in her 30s, is one of the Mendoza Zoo’s most popular attractions, but left alone, her emotional health has long been in jeopardy. In the past, the zoo has received negative attention for the poor conditions its animals have been subjected to. The sad life and inevitable death in July of Arturo the polar bear is the most recent high-profile case.

When the director of an ape sanctuary in Brazil discovered Cecilia’s plight, he began a fight to transfer her to the sanctuary’s care. Two years later, a judge has ruled to do just that, calling Cecilia’s solitary confinement unlawful and stating she is entitled to enjoy her life in a more natural habitat.