California Puts An End To Breeding Of Captive Killer Whales

California has now become the first state to put a complete end on the breeding of killer whales and of using animals in private theatrical shows. There will no longer be such breeding of captive whales such as those which were used in the SeaWorld's famous 'Shamu' shows. All of which is to end by summer 2017.

Gov. Jerry Brown signed the bill as a law this Tuesday which goes into effect in 2017. Passed after years of controversy about keeping killer whales to entertain humans, under this law, the orcas, already in captivity can be used only for "educational presentations" to be starting in June next year, reports Reuters.com .

SeaWorld in San Diego which uses orcas at its park, said it ended its breeding program earlier in March according to cnn.com. The company had come under fire for its non-ethical treatment of Orcas since the release of 2013 CNN documentary "Blackfish."

SeaWorld San Diego has a plan to retain the 11 whales under its care to be used for educational orca encounters that is to be started in San Diego next year, the company stated earlier. "Most of the orcas we have here were born in a zoological environment and the present threats in our oceans are a huge danger to these animals," the company added.

 The 'Blackfish' Documentary

"Blackfish", released in 2013 showed the capturing of young orcas from the wild in the 1970s. It also showed SeaWorld to be insensitive for raising them in dark and cramped conditions. It also recounted the death of SeaWorld's trainer Dawn Brancheau by a killer whale named Tilikum in 2010.

Very pleased to announce that my law protecting #orca from captive breeding in California was signed by @JerryBrownGov today

— Richard Bloom (@RichardBloom) September 13, 2016

The stock and people's attendance has fallen recently at SeaWorld. The state law also allows the rescue of Orcas for rehabilitation and research purposes. Brown's decision to sign the bill was well praised by all the animal rights group including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), that had been opposed to the SeaWorld shows. "Future generations of orcas will not have to suffer the stress and frustration of living trapped in a small concrete tank," PETA's vice president Tracy Reiman said in a statement.