The Southern Resident population is considered depleted because of the captures conducted for marine parks decades ago. As a result, the Southern Resident killer whales were added to the endangered species 10 years ago, says NOAA Fisheries.
Animal activists, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Animal Legal Defense Fun and the Orca Network see this ruling as a victory.
“It’s Lolita’s chance of freedom,” said Jared Goodman, PETA’s director of animal law. “It’s a huge step.”
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The Miami Seaquarium curator says there’s no proof Lolita could survive in such a habitat.
“It would be reckless to treat her life as an experiment and jeopardize her health and safety.”
Opinion: Can a killer whale be a slave?
