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SeaWorld sues California Coastal Commission over orca breeding ban
In its suit, filed in San Diego Superior Court, SeaWorld claims that since its captive orcas are not a part of the California’s oceans, it only has to follow federal regulations and shouldn’t be under jurisdiction of the state.
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A California commission was overreaching when it banned the breeding of captive killer whales at a $100 million planned exhibit at San Diego’s SeaWorld, the park claimed in a lawsuit.
The marine-theme park company proposed a project – dubbed Blue World – to replace its existing 1.7-million-gallon tank holding facility with a new 450,000-gallon pool and a 5.2 million- gallon tank.
The theme park says because the whales are not part of the coastal or marine environment, the commission doesn’t have jurisdiction.
A spokeswoman for the commission said the agency had not yet seen the lawsuit and so could not comment on it.
CEO Joel Manby told investors the park – where the iconic “Shamu” show featuring killer whales doing flips and other stunts debuted decades ago – will offer a different kind of orca experience focusing on the animal’s natural setting and behaviours, starting in 2017.
However, it has remained unwavering in its intent to get the ban overturned. “All of SeaWorld’s activities with respect to the care, breeding and transportation of orcas occur onshore in the orca pools and not in the marine environment and are specifically governed by federal law”.
Critics who attended October’s seven-hour hearing questioned SeaWorld’s treatment of animals in captivity and demanded the park’s 11 orcas be released into the wild.
SeaWorld criticises the hearing in its lawsuit, stating: “The Coastal Commission process became unhinged”.
There are 11 killer whales at SeaWorld San Diego.
“The condition forces SeaWorld to either agree to the eventual demise of its lawful and federally regulated orca exhibition, or withdraw the permit application and forego the effort to enhance the orcas’ habitat”, say its attorneys. The Blue World project is a development that would greatly expand the killer whale habitats.
The shows will continue at the company’s Orlando and San Antonio parks, which are not affected by the breeding ban. In a statement earlier this week they said that the CCC had the right to impose the breeding ban and it made the right decision.
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SeaWorld filed the complaint in the Superior Court of the state of California.