California passes bill to ban orca breeding

Lawmakers in California have passed a bill that would ban the breeding and export of orcas held in California. The bill was introduced by Democratic Assemblymember Richard Bloom in March 2014 and resubmitted earlier this year. It has now been passed to the state Governor for approval.

Even though SeaWorld announced earlier this year that it would be ending its breeding programme, the law will prevent the company from being able to change its mind in future.

The bill only applies to orcas and not to the many other whales and dolphins that SeaWorld holds.