An animals rights group is suing the US government to thwart a Connecticut aquarium's effort to get five new beluga whales, arguing in court that the aquatic animals would be harmed both from the trip from Canada and from being separated from other whales.

A trainer gestures next to beluga whale, as she prepares for the show at a media event to promote the launch of free online animal showsat Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan on April 30. Photo: VCG

The Darien, Connecticut-based group, Friends of Animals, filed its lawsuit on Thursday against US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross and the National Marine Fisheries Service in US District Court to stop a permit for the Mystic Aquarium.

The aquarium in Mystic, Connecticut, already has three beluga whales and it boasts of the largest 2,850,000 liter outdoor habitat for whales in the US.

Belugas, also known as white whales, are common in the Arctic Ocean's coastal waters and are also found in subarctic waters, according to the National Geographic website.

They are classified as endangered in some parts of the world, and "near threatened" worldwide.

"Beluga whales do not belong in captivity," the lawsuit says. "They are highly social and intelligent animals who roam large distances in the wild. Captivity robs them on their most basic needs."

Neither representatives for the aquarium nor the National Marine Fisheries Service were immediately available for comment.

The proposed, five-year permit cited in the lawsuit, says the aquarium seeks the animals for noninvasive research.
Newspaper headline: Lawsuit to stop Connecticut aquarium getting whales