Orca shows are now officially no more in SeaWorld.
Governor Jerry Brown, has signed a bill that will put a stop to orca shows throughout California. The bill, first proposed by Assemblyman Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica), makes it a crime for an individual or corporation to keep an orca in captivity, and to breed orcas while they’re captivity. It also prohibits the import and export of new orcas, as well as the semen and/or embryos of orcas. Violating these rules will lead to a misdemeanor charge that carries a maximum fine of $100,000. This all means that, very soon, we won’t been seeing orca shows in the state anymore.
However, there are a couple of exceptions. The bill says that a “bona fide educational or scientific institution” may be in possession of an orca if researchers are attempting to study or rehabilitate the whale. And, if releasing it back into the wild isn’t a possibility (i.e. if the whale is handicapped), it may be held captive for educational purposes.
