“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 park said, according to the AP. A state agency is expected to consider Thursday, October 8, 2015, how much regulators should weigh in on the $100 million proposal for the marine-theme park.
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“The California Coastal Commission did right by orcas in requiring, as a condition of approval for the Blue World Project, that SeaWorld stop breeding them, which will ultimately end captivity for long-suffering orcas in California”, PETA Foundation Director of Animal Law Jared Goodman said in a statement.
The commission staff recommended approval after SeaWorld officials pledged that the facility will not house any Orcas taken from the wild after February 12, 2014, nor will it use killer whale genetic material taken from the wild after the aforementioned date.
SeaWorld says the larger tanks will give the whales more space to swim and also create new opportunities for research. Among the restrictions placed by the commission, no new whales from the wild can be kept there, to which SeaWorld responded that it had not captured wild orcas in 30 years. Sea World veterinarian – Dr. Hendrick Nollens – defended the Orcas’ treatment.
SeaWorld’s treatment of captive orcas has come under enhanced scrutiny since the release of the 2013 documentary “Blackfish“, which suggested that the stress of captivity can provoke violence in orcas. If you would like to discuss another topic, look for a relevant article.
There is no denying the abusement park’s sorry track record-SeaWorld has been cited for violating the Animal Welfare Act and fined for inadequately protecting its employees-or its bleak bottom line: Attendance and revenue are nosediving, and its shares are losing value. The whales are enriched and stimulated, he said, not stressed or depressed.
A plan to protect the whales from noise during construction of the pools is also said to be one of the pre-requisites for experts to approve the project.
Protesters and supporters filled a meeting room all day Thursday where the commission was considering a vast expansion to the tanks that SeaWorld uses.
“A ban on breeding would sentence these animals to a slow extinction in our care”, said John Reilly, president of SeaWorld San Diego.
“[Orcas] don’t belong in captivity”, said Commissioner Bochco.
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The company said then it would expand the orca habitat in San Diego, then in Orlando and San Antonio as well. Today’s hearing, which started at around 10 a.m., and ended in an evening vote after public comments concluded, will allow the amusement park to replace a 1.7 million gallon pool with a 450,000 gallon pool, and construct a new 5.2 million gallon pool.
