A US judge is to rule whether five performing killer whales have the same constitutional rights against slavery as human beings.
US District Judge Jeffrey Miller called the hearing in San Diego after Sea World asked the court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals that names the five orcas as plaintiffs in the case.
PETA claims the captured whales are treated like slaves for being forced to live in tanks and perform daily at its parks in San Diego and Orlando, Florida.
"This case is on the next frontier of civil rights," said PETA's lawyer Jeffrey Kerr, representing the five whales.
Sea World's lawyer Theodore Shaw called the lawsuit a waste of the court's time and resources. He said it defies common sense and goes against 125 years of case law applied to the Constitution's 13th amendment that prohibits slavery between humans.
"With all due respect, the court does not have the authority to even consider this question," Mr Shaw said, adding later: "Neither orcas nor any other animal were included in the 'We the people' ... when the Constitution was adopted."
Judge Miller listened to both...
↧