
In 2013, Seaworld was criticized for keeping killer whales captive. Because of boredom, they would display an aggressive behavior especially against their trainers.
Orcas Breeding has been prohibited at SeaWorld. The Coastal Commission of California gave Seaworld the permission to build bigger orca tanks, but they also banned their breeding.
SeaWorld is no longer permitted to breed whales in captivity, thing which raises questions about the park’s capability of taking care of aquatic animals. For the moment, the park is very popular due to this existence of killer whales.
The Coastal Commission of California took this decision after the park located in San Diego made a request in order to build more orca tanks. After the decision, the park’s management declared its disappointment.
SeaWorld’s aim was to offer the audience a better view by building larger tanks.
John Reilly, CEO of SeaWorld, stated that breeding is a natural process for those animals and not giving them the right to reproduce would be harsh:
“Breeding is a natural, fundamental and important part of an animal’s life and depriving a social animal of the right to reproduce is inhumane.”
The Coastal Commission of California gave SeaWorld the permission to start the building projects but only if they stop artificial insemination. Commerce and transfer was also banned by the Commission.
The decision came after the Commission received many emails from people against orcas breeding asking to stop the projects. Noaki Schwartz, a Coastal Commission spokesman, declared that he received over 120,000 emails from persons who opposed the project when they found out about the expansion.
For the moment, the official decision is applicable only to the park located in San Diego, but SeaWorld also has parks in Florida and Texas.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals organization praised this initiative, stating that this could mean the end of a captive orcas era.
In 2013, Seaworld was criticized for keeping killer whales captive. Because of boredom, they would display an aggressive behavior especially against the trainers.
Image Source: Pixabay