SAN FRANCISCO - A coalition of animal protection and environmental organizations – including Bay Area-based groups In Defense of Animals and Earth Island Institute, along with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and the Patagonia, Argentina-based Wild Earth Foundation– are mobilizing to prevent the Six Flags Corporation from importing two orcas ("killer whales") to its Worlds of Adventure amusement park in Aurora, Ohio.

The groups have retained legal help to fight Six Flags’ application to the National Marine Fisheries Service for a permit to import the Shouka, a young, captive-born female orca from Marineland S.A. in Antibes, France, and Kshamenk, Argentina’s sole surviving captive orca from Mundo Marino in Buenos Aires.

"The recent and untimely deaths of two orcas in less than three years at Six Flags Marine World in California effectively put this amusement park company out of the orca business," said Suzanne Roy, Program Director for In Defense of Animals. "It would be irresponsible and a giant step backward to allow this corporation to imprison more orcas at one of its amusement park facilities."

In addition to Six Flags questionable record of orca care, the groups question the propriety of importing Shouka, who at age 9, is still a juvenile and not yet of breeding age. They also take issue with the proposed import of the 14-year old Kshamenk, the world’s only captive Patagonian orca, who was allegedly stranded under mysterious circumstances in 1992 and was never returned to sea despite his recovering health.

"Is the selling to the highest bidder the destiny that the Argentinean society wishes for a wild whale that has been removed from its natural environment with the excuse of rehabilitation?" asked Gabriela M. Bellazzi, President of Wild Earth Foundation. "As the wild fauna belong to the nation, a wild orca cannot be owned or sold by any company. This whale must rehabilitated for release to the sea, not airlifted thousands of miles away from his homeland where he will be doomed to spend the rest of his days in a concrete tank."

Finally, the groups believe that if the U.S. government sanctions the import, it could reverse a worldwide trend against orca captivity.

"It's time to end the international orca trade, once and for all," said Mark Berman, Associate Director of Earth Island's International Marine Mammal Project. "Allowing U.S. facilities to import orcas from abroad serves only to perpetuate this immoral, anti-environmental industry."

"There is a strong movement around the world to free marine mammals and the U.S. should become part of it by banning the import of marine mammals," said Stephanie Boyles, Wildlife Biologist with PETA. "South Carolina has banned exhibits of whales and dolphins; in Brazil, it is illegal to use marine mammals for entertainment; Israel has prohibited the importation of dolphins; and in England, consumer boycotts have forced all marine mammal exhibits to close."

Read accompanying Action Alert