SeaWorld Just Got Slammed With Another Damning Lawsuit

<p><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/96417440@N00/77387358/in/photolist-r5c7f-6pUxey-7QCyN-pdJwjb-7fNvGL-b7dEV8-6pQoc6-xBpAC-xBpe2-xBok1-xBoZc-xBkrc-frwv65-8dFyaJ-7RSHvB-8Nj1hw-xC7wz-pUKPiV-xC6Lf-xChib-bmzP4-xCghC-bprZRG-xBn7f-FMJJh-frhbGn-xBrJe-8JGtLk-xCgmi-frx3L9-frhKu4-frwfcu-frw7fw-xC6yW-9snQoZ-7RxjMm-frwEeA-frh9Sz-frgSSe-xChaX-xCh3n-xCgTj-xCgAj-xCgtt-xBUL7-xBUwb-xBTx1-xBT7s-eRNye-eRNxy" target="_blank">Flickr/The Jacobin</a></p>

SeaWorld has been hit with yet another lawsuit that claims it hid the mistreatment of its captive orcas with a "deceptive and false" advertising campaign.

The federal lawsuit, filed in San Diego, calls out SeaWorld for lying to the public about the treatment of its animals. One of SeaWorld's more publicized commercials, for example, claims it has the "highest standard of animal care in the world."

However, in a recent trip to SeaWorld, PETA alleges that the park's orcas suffer from a disturbing number of captivity-related health issues, such as severe dental trauma and injuries sustained from fighting with each other.

Other criticisms against the company allege that the orcas are kept in tanks that are much too small for them, taken from their mothers way too young and that they do not live as long as they would in the wild. And more than one former trainer has come forward to say that the orcas don't belong in captivity.

The orcas are not the only animals who suffer at SeaWorld. Dolphins have been seen with skin lesions that could point to an infectious disease.

Three similar lawsuits have been filed against SeaWorld this year. A spokesman for SeaWorld told one news organization that he could not comment on the current lawsuit, but that "there is no higher priority than the health and wellbeing of our animals."

On Saturday morning, hours after news of the lawsuit broke, SeaWorld tweeted this:

SeaWorld has 45 days to respond to the complaint against them. Hopefully we will soon see if this lawsuit prompts any positive change from SeaWorld, or simply more of the same we've been seeing from them for forever.

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