News
California Bill Aims To Ban SeaWorld From Making Orcas Perform
Democratic State Assemblyman Richard Bloom has proposed a bill that would outlaw San Diego’s SeaWorld park from breeding orcas in captivity and would ban the import and export of the animals for performance purposes.
“There is no justification for the continued captive display of orcas for entertainment purposes,” Bloom said in a statement released before the unveiling of the Orca Welfare and Safety Act at an event in Santa Monica on Friday, which was attended by the director of “Blackfish,” the controversial 2013 documentary that alleged mistreatment of orcas at SeaWorld and examined the death of a SeaWorld trainer who worked with killer whales. “These beautiful creatures are much too large and far too intelligent to be confined in small, concrete tanks for their entire lives.”
According to UT San Diego, the bill has three goals. First, it seeks to end the practice of making orcas perform in shows. It also seeks to ban captive breeding. Finally, the legislation hopes to prohibit the import and export of killer whales across state lines. The ban would apply to any establishment in California, though SeaWorld in San Diego is the only such establishment in the state, according to CBS8 in San Diego.
UT San Diego also writes that the park would not have to free the whales that it already has in captivity, but those animals would not have to perform anymore. They would be “retired” and kept in water enclosures anchored to the sea floor. They would still be on display for people to go see.
“While we cannot comment on Assemblyman Bloom’s proposed legislation until we see it, the individuals he has chosen to associate with for today’s press conference are well known extreme animal rights activists, many of whom regularly campaign against SeaWorld and other accredited marine mammal parks and institutions,” SeaWorld said in a statement.
The park has routinely denied the claims made by the “Blackfish” film and many other animal rights groups.
Source: www.huffingtonpost.com
Over the next 12 months, specialist scuba holiday company Dive Worldwide will be supporting Bite-Back Shark & Marine Conservation with donations collected from client bookings to any one of its stunning dive destinations around the world. The independently-owned operator expects to raise £3000 for the UK charity.
Manager at Dive Worldwide, Phil North, said: “We’re especially excited to work with Bite-Back and support its intelligent, creative and results-driven campaigns to end the UK trade in shark products and prompt a change in attitudes to the ocean’s most maligned inhabitant.”
Bite-Back is running campaigns to hold the media to account on the way it reports shark news along with a brand new nationwide education programme. Last year the charity was credited for spearheading a UK ban on the import and export of shark fins.
Campaign director at Bite-Back, Graham Buckingham, said: “We’re enormously grateful to Dive Worldwide for choosing to support Bite-Back. The company’s commitment to conservation helps set it apart from other tour operators and we’re certain its clients admire and respect that policy. For us, the affiliation is huge and helps us look to the future with confidence we can deliver against key conservation programmes.”
To launch the fundraising initiative, Phil North presented Graham Buckingham with a cheque for £1,000.
Visit Dive Worldwide to discover its diverse range of international scuba adventures and visit Bite-Back to learn more about the charity’s campaigns.
MORE INFORMATION
Call Graham Buckingham on 07810 454 266 or email graham@bite-back.com
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