Bigger orca tanks OK’d in California

Reaction to the decision from both sides was swift.

The company said in a statement that it will review its legal options.

The plan had drawn objections by a few animal rights advocates, but commission staff had recommended approval. The amendment also prohibits the sale, trade or transfer of captive orcas.

SeaWorld is crying “extinction” – at least for its orcas being forced to entertain the public.

Despite that concession, animal rights advocates say that even captive-born orcas should not be kept in tanks.

SeaWorld supporters argued that the new project would not only benefit the company, by creating jobs, and raising revenue, but it would most importantly benefit the animals. But opponent John Hargrove, a former trainer, said the whales are not healthy. “I speak on behalf of the 150 members on my team”.

During Thursday’s heated meeting attended by hundreds, SeaWorld attorney David Watson told the panel “the state of California does not have jurisdiction to regulate the management and care of marine mammal collections”. “We have nothing but the whales” best interest at heart’.

According to CNN, there are 56 orcas in captivity worldwide, with 24 of them under SeaWorld’s care at its parks in San Diego, San Antonio and Orlando.

The condition was made as the commission approved a $100million expansion of the tanks used to hold the animals.

“Take a moment and think like a whale”, asked one young woman, who pleaded for a “no” vote. Essentially, the whales that SeaWorld has in park, are the whales that they will have until those whales die. “SeaWorld hurts orcas”, said another. Eight of them were born in captivity.

SeaWorld said it was disappointed by the conditions attached to the approval of its “Blue World” expansion, which is set to open in 2018.

As of last month the commission had received more than 120,000 emails from people about the project, most coming from people opposing it, commission spokeswoman Noaki Schwartz said.

“We feel these newer tanks will just be more prisons for these orcas”, Bruce said. SeaWorld wants to greatly expand the tanks it uses to…

Campaigners praised Thursday’s decision, which will see 11 orcas remain at the tourist attraction. In other words, they would quickly die. Every one of the 500 seats was taken, and an overflow crowd of about 150 people stood outside. The project would also include replacing bathroom facilities for visitors. “These orcas are robbed of everything that is natural to them”.

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.

But Commissioner Greg Cox, who supported the measure, said that any expansion is better than none.