SeaWorld reprieve as bill banning orca shows rejected
SeaWorld is able to keep their captive killer whales after US state lawmakers rejected a bill outlawing orca shows, pending more research.
After months of lobbying by both animal rights activists and SeaWorld supporters, lawmakers recommended a year-long study before the bill is heard again, reports the LA Times.
The bill, introduced by state assemblyman Richard Bloom and sponsored by the Animal Welfare Institute, was to ban public shows and domestic breeding of the whales.
A SeaWorld spokesman said: "The bill was deeply and fundamentally flawed and didn’t appear to have support today. We believe strongly there is an inspirational quality and educational benefit to people seeing killer whales in our park.
"The premise behind this proposed legislation is severely flawed on multiple levels, and its validity is highly questionable under the United States and California Constitutions."
It bill followed a public backlash after the airing of the documentary film ‘Blackfish’ last year.
But John Reilly, president of SeaWorld San Diego, said: "This film was a piece of propaganda and an attempt to exploit a tragic incident."
SeaWorld is the number one paid attraction in the San Diego area, contributing around $14 million in annual rent to the city in 2013.
A recent SEC filing showed a 13% drop in attendances at SeaWorld parks in the first quarter of 2014.
Naomi Rose, a marine mammal scientist with the Animal Welfare Institute, had said the bill was not about destroying SeaWorld but changing the way it handles captive animals.
"We are not talking about shutting down SeaWorld, we are talking about transforming them," Rose said.
Last weekend, animal welfare campaigners staged a peaceful demonstration to put pressure on Virgin Holidays to stop selling tickets to SeaWorld.
The protestors want high profile boss Sir Richard Branson to set a precedent by taking a stand against the park’s dolphin and orca shows.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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