Orca shows at California's SeaWorld could stop if legislation is passed UT San Diego reported Friday.
Concern arose after a documentary about the killer whales was shown on CNN, and therefore prompted Richard Bloom (D) a California State Assembyman to create a proposal.
"It is time that we embrace that the long-accepted practice of keeping orcas captive for human amusement must end," state Assemblyman Richard Bloom (D) said in a statement.
According to CNN, there is no approved legislation currently out that disallows the whales to be constrained. Laws do however exist at the national level that look out for how they are treated, caught, and examined for science purposes according to information from Bloom CNN reported.
The documentary, "Blackfish" produced by Magnolia Pictures and acquired by CNN Films, recounts the 2010 death of longtime SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau by a killer whale named Tilikum, a 12,000-pound bull, in Orlando, Florida.
The special is about Dawn Brancheau's, a veteran trainer at SeaWorld death from Tilikum, a 12,000 killer whale at the attraction's location in Orlando in 2010 CNN reported.
"The premise behind this proposed legislation is severely flawed on multiple levels, and its validity is highly questionable under the United States and California Constitutions," Becca Bides, a spokeswoman at Seaworld said in a statement CNN reported. "We trust that our leaders who are responsible for voting on this proposal will recognize the clear bias of those behind the bill."
"Included in the group are some of the same activists that partnered with PETA in bringing the meritless claim that animals in human care should be considered slaves under the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution -- a clear publicity stunt. This legislation appears to reflect the same sort of out-of-the-mainstream thinking," Bides said in the statement. "We engage in business practices that are responsible, sustainable and reflective of the balanced values all Americans share," Bides said in the statement.
John Hargrove left his position as a trainer at SeaWorld in 2012.
"This is about greed and this is about corporate exploitation, both of the whales and the trainers, but most importantly the whales," Hargrove said in a statement.
