The group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) is suing the SeaWorld water parks (in both Orland and San Diego) of enslaving five killer whales and violating their 13th Amendment right. A U.S. judge will hear the case, in which the five killer whales are the plaintiffs. SeaWorld’s lawyer, Theodore Shaw, does not seem too worried and had this to say: “Neither orcas nor any other animal were included in the ‘We the people’ … when the Constitution was adopted.” This isn’t stopping Peta though. Jeffery Kerr, the lawyer representing the five whales, stated that, “For the first time in our nation’s history, a federal court heard arguments as to whether living, breathing, feeling beings have rights and can be enslaved simply because they happen to not have been born human.” The ramifications of the case may be far wider than simply the ethical treatment of animals in zoos, and may extend to using dogs to sniff for bombs and help the disabled. In related news, four 8-year old boys in Youngstown, Ohio, are facing murder charges after burning ants with a magnifying glass.
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All Comments
Do not mock this case. Years ago, a referendum was passed in Florida, which altered the state's constitution to give certain rights to farm raised pigs (as opposed to feral pigs, which are also common in northern parts of the state). So there is precedent for animals having rights, at least under the Florida constitution.
I am sure that the magnifying glass thing is a joke. I am asking of course because somehow in today's world it does not seem all that far fetched. The whole Sea World thing is really getting out of hand.
PETA is suing Sea World for "enslavement" of the secrets of the whales and they state that the whales have rights but it seems as if PETA is looking for money.
