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"Five killer whales have been named as the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against SeaWorld. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals&amp;#039; (PETA) filed the lawsuit with a US court, arguing that the &amp;quot;enslaved&amp;quot; orcas deserve the same treatment as humans. The historic case marks the first occasion where a judge has been asked to consider whether animals should be given the same constitutional protection as people. SeaWorld&amp;#039;s legal representatives have rejected the notion that its marine animals are entitled to such legal rights. &amp;quot;Neither orcas nor any other animal were included in the &amp;#039;We the people&amp;#039;... when the Constitution was adopted,&amp;quot; said lawyer Theodore Shaw. Shaw went on to say that if PETA is successful in its campaign, the judge&amp;#039;s ruling could have implications on the use of animals in other contexts, such as police sniffer dogs. PETA acknowledged that the whales are unlikely to be released from captivity, but its campaigners are celebrating the fact that the case will be heard by a judge. &amp;quot;For the first time in our nation&amp;#039;s history, a federal court heard arguments as to whether living, breathing, feeling beings have rights and can be enslaved simply because they happen to not have been born human,&amp;quot; said Jeffrey Kerr, the lawyer representing the whales.  &amp;quot;By any definition these orcas have been enslaved here.&amp;quot;  PETA names the captive orcas as Tilikum and Katina at SeaWorld Orlando, plus Kasatka, Corky and Ulises at SeaWorld San Diego.  Tilikum caused a media stir in 2010 when he drowned his trainer in front of spectators, leading to a ban on the park&amp;#039;s employees from entering the water with the whales. US District Judge Jeffrey Miller, who is overseeing the case, expressed concerns about whether animals could be legally represented as plaintiffs. He will deliver his verdict at a later date. &amp;gt; PETA protests against Liam Neeson after &amp;#039;wolf stew&amp;#039; remark &amp;gt; Janet Jackson, Kim Kardashian named PETA &amp;#039;Grinches of the Year&amp;#039; "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/fun/news/a364683/seaworld-sued-for-killer-whale-slavery/>