SeaWorld San Diego has dropped its lawsuit against the California Coastal Commission which challenged the captive orca program restrictions. SeaWorld and the Coastal Commission engaged in this conflict when the Commission filed a motion to impose a ban on the breeding of killer whales at SeaWorld. The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) was the primary proponent of the conditions imposed on SeaWorld by the California Coastal Commission. The ALDF and the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society filed a motion to intervene in the case when SeaWorld filed suit against the Commission to ensure the conditions remained in place.
“Fantastic news,” Coastal Commission Vice Chair Dayna Bochco said of the decision to drop the lawsuit filed in the Superior Court of California in San Diego. “This finally closes the chapter on captive orca breeding in California.”
SeaWorld and the Coastal Commission clashed when the theme park applied with the state agency to expand its orca holding tanks, saying it wanted to give the whales more room to swim and create a new opportunity for research.
“While Sea Shepherd is happy to see that SeaWorld has dismissed its frivolous lawsuit against the Commission, we hold no illusions that it signals a positive change of direction for this key player in the captive animal industry,” says Sea Shepherd founder, Captain Paul Watson. “We are certainly not fooled by SeaWorld’s new ‘conservation’ plan and are not buying into the illusion being created that SeaWorld is now a humane institution when it clearly is not. We will only be satisfied when SeaWorld has finally emptied its tanks.”
“SeaWorld boosted its troubled public image with the announcement that they would end their captive orca program,” says Stephen Wells, executive director of the Animal Legal Defense Fund. “Dropping this lawsuit is a positive step toward following through with that promise, but it does nothing for all the other animals SeaWorld holds suffering in captivity.”
SeaWorld made news in March when it was announced that they won’t breed anymore captive orcas making the 11 they now have the last generation of orcas at San Diego.
Tina Evangelista-Eppenstein is a television talk show host, speaker, writer and animal advocate. She hosts the show, ” A Close-Up Look at Animal Welfare Issues.” Have a story, please email Tina at tevangelistaepp@yahoo. Like my tv page at https://www.facebook.com/ACloseUpLookAtAnimalWelfareIssues and check out AnimalWelfareIssues.com for all the tv shows you may have missed!
About time!?
I bet SeaWorld will still try something dirty and underhanded. They want to make money off the lonely orcas. Do you really think they care about them?
says Stephen Wells, executive director of the Animal Legal Defense Fund. “Dropping this lawsuit is a positive step toward following through with that promise, but it does nothing for all the other animals SeaWorld holds suffering in captivity.”
Exactly my point. This doesn’t stop SeaWorld from ALLOWING the other animals from years of suffering! SeaWorld needs to set these mammals free- sea sanctuaries is a good start. It’s all about the money.
YAY!
What about the other animals in harm’s way? They all need to get out of there. Amusements parks are no place for them. :'(
Poor Tilikum. He’s stuck in hell.
SeaWorld is sneaky and has something “up their sleeve.” It’s all about money. if they sincerely cared about the welfare of the animals, they wouldn’t have put humans in with them even after the first person was savagely killed by Tilikum. Then they blamed Dawn Brancheau when Tili killed her as his third victim. I will still never go to SeaWorld. I’m tired of so many hurting animals so they can make a profit. It makes my stomach turn and makes me want to puke.