(Image source: KTXL)

BY CHRISTINE KARSTEN

ANCHOR CHRISTINA HARTMAN

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals or PETA filled a lawsuit against SeaWorld back in October saying SeaWorld enslaves whales, therefore violating the 13th amendment.

After months of waiting, a federal judge reached a decision PETA did not want to hear.

The Orlando Sentinel reports...

“A federal judge in San Diego dismissed an unprecedented lawsuit seeking to grant constitutional protection against slavery to a group of orcas that perform at SeaWorld parks, saying the 13th amendment applies only to humans.”

While the suit brought the ethics of keeping animals in captivity to the foreground, some found the basis of the case offensive. A blogger tells KNBC he thinks the lawsuit demeans the historic reality of slavery.

“To equate Shamu and friends to the millions of human beings who were degraded brutalised stripped of their culture and murdered, under a racists system of forced servitude that to me is just it is beyond insulting.”

Others think PETA has a point. A writer for Scholars and Rogues says for decades there has been discussion of whether or not it’s appropriate to keep intelligent animals like whales and dolphins in captivity.

“[W]hether they’re as smart as people are isn’t really the appropriate question. But they do seem to be smart enough to cause a great deal of head-scratching … Let’s face it—we’re talking about Killer Whales … we’re not talking about anteaters, or bats, or lizards.

But is this just another PR stunt for PETA? KTVK interviewed radio host Jim Sharpe, who says caging wild animals and giving them constitutional rights are two separate things.

“They're PETA...They are over reaching. Ya they are PETA. This is ridiculous are we going to give constitutional rights to ants? I mean where does it stop? I love animals I do animal rescue but I think you have to draw a line.

In a statement, SeaWorld denied any mistreatment of the animals and PETA says it does not intend to give up its fight to protect the whales.