PETA Challenging Feds Over Miami Seaquarium's Lolita
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Claiming that the Miami Seaquarium has not met federal regulations, animal rights activists have appealed the dismissal of a lawsuit aimed at releasing the attraction's Lolita the killer whale.
On Tuesday, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals announced that they had filed a lawsuit which challenged the U.S. Department of Agriculture's automatic renewal of Miami Seaquarium's Animal Welfare Act license, allowing it to exhibit Lolita.
PETA claims Seaquarium is in violation of at least three of the act's regulations. The group says Lolita is kept in a tank that is smaller than the minimum size required and has no orca companion or shelter from the sun.
Earlier this year, federal officials requested public comment on a proposal to have Lolita included in the endangered species listing for Pugent Sound orcas.
Lolita was captured in 1970 and performs each day at the Seaquarium.
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