Vallejo's Six Flags Under Fire For Orca's Living Conditions
VALLEJO (CBS 5) - A 19-year-old in Vallejo is looking for a roommate, but compatibility may be an issue. She's an Orca - a killer whale at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom. And a Vallejo woman is complaining that the park is breaking the law by not providing a companion.
"It's the law," explained animal activists Wendy Brunot. "It's been almost six months that Shouka has been alone."
Brunot has started an online petition demanding Six Flags find Shouka, a 19-year-old female Orca, a pool mate.
As of Thursday, Brunto had collected 700 signatures. She said Shouka's current circumstances are cruel and inhumane.
"The Animal Welfare Act requires that marine animals...are housed with at least one compatible companion," Brunot said.
In a written statement, Six Flags responded, "Due to recent compatibility issues, Shouka and her companion for the last seven years, a male Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, have been separated."
Six Flags did not say why they were separated or if the move was permanent, but park officials said they are actively searching for a suitable companion for Shouka.
"The best thing for her, in my opinion, would be to be sent back to her family in France, where she came from, if they cannot find a companion for her," Brunot said.
For now, Shouka remains single, in Vallejo.
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