The people have spoken. Yesterday, the California Coastal Commission unanimously voted to ban captive whale breeding and drastically restrict the movement of whales in and out of SeaWorld San Diego. The ban was a last-minute amendment to a 100 million dollar expansion to the orca tanks at SeaWorld. The expansion was approved, along with the stipulation that breeding of captive orcas must end. The new rules also prohibit the sale, trade, or transfer of captive orcas, as well as the capture of orcas in the wild. In effect, the 11 remaining orcas at SeaWorld San Diego will be the last!

Yesterday was history in the making. This is a major step toward ending cruel confinement of orcas, and the beginning of the end of captive wildlife performances.

Major change does not come about by sitting still and staying quiet. It takes a group of dedicated and tireless people with a coordinated message. To those protesting or boycotting SeaWorld, watching Blackfish and encouraging others to do the same, and everyone simply liking or sharing articles on social media: THANK YOU. Thank you for being a voice for animals in need.

While this is great news for California, the ban does not extend to SeaWorld Orlando, and there is much more work to be done. To stay up to date on animal welfare issues learn ways to get involved, please join our mailing list by sending an email request to [email protected].

This post is brought to you by the SF SPCA.