Lolita the killer whale will stay in captivity as court rules against animal rights group

Judges say they are 'are sensitive to the plight of Lolita and other animals exhibited across the country' but the killer whale's rights were being met

A federal appeals court has upheld a ruling against animal rights groups that want a captive killer whale removed from an oceanarium in Florida.

The case concerns an orca named Lolita that has lived at Miami Seaquarium since 1970. Last year, a local judge dismissed the groups' lawsuit which alleged that the tank holding Lolita violates government animal welfare standards.