5 min read VICTORY: SeaWorld Park Can't Breed Orcas Anymore

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Tinseltown/Shutterstock

SeaWorld is crying "extinction" - at least for its orcas being forced to entertain the public. "A ban on breeding would sentence these animals to a slow extinction in our care," said John Reilly, president of SeaWorld San Diego, who, according to the Los Angeles Times, rushed out of the building after the vote, along with other SeaWorld officials. Former SeaWorld trainers and "Blackfish" stars are calling the vote a big win.

We just watched the most significant victory v Marine Mammal captivity in the history of this fight Good Souls, Facts + #Blackfish Effect — Jeffrey Ventre (@jeffrey_ventre)

We won!!! Thank you to the California Coastal Commision! Incredible — John Hargrove (@johnjhargrove)

HAPPENING NOW: PETA supporters take over the screen as #SeaWorld talks 👊 #NeverBeSilent #VoteNo http://t.co/SQ2Ddrootd — PETA (@peta)

"The California Coastal Commission did right by orcas in requiring, as a condition of approval for the Blue World Project, that SeaWorld stop breeding them, which will ultimately end captivity for long-suffering orcas in California," Jared Goodman, foundation director of animal law for PETA, told The Dodo in a press release, in response to the California Coastal Commission's conditional approval for SeaWorld's new orca tank. "SeaWorld has admitted that it intended to breed even more orcas to fill the new tanks, but the commission's action today ensures that no more orcas will be condemned to a non-life of loneliness, deprivation, and misery."

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