Georgia Aquarium loses legal battle over beluga whales
Source: AP
By KATE BRUMBACK
ATLANTA (AP) — The Georgia Aquarium has lost a legal battle to import 18 beluga whales from Russia, a federal judge ruled Monday.
The aquarium sued the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in September 2013 after the federal agency refused to grant a permit to import the whales. U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg said in a 100-page ruling that the agency properly reviewed the aquarium's permit application through the lens of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
The 1972 law prohibits the capture of marine mammals in U.S. waters and by U.S. citizens elsewhere and generally doesn't allow the import of marine mammals, although there are some exceptions, including one that allows animals to be imported for public display.
Aquarium officials were reviewing the decision, spokeswoman Jessica Fontana said in an email.
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Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/d92ab06f3efb4101b19a424a4205a402/georgia-aquarium-loses-legal-battle-over-beluga-whales
Good for the whales!
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Unfortunately they have been living in captivity in Russia for many years. Some where captured when they were too young so probably are not candidates for release back into the wild. The whole thing is heartbreaking. 
