Do whales have civil rights?

When it comes to the constitutional amendment banning slavery, PETA argues that orcas are people, too

A tourist interacts with a whale at Sea World Orlando
(Image credit: Kamal Sellehuddin/ZUMA Press/Corbis)

Chalk up another PR coup for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. The animal rights group is grabbing headlines once again — this time with a lawsuit naming five killer whales as plaintiffs, and arguing that the marine mammals deserve the same constitutional protection from "slavery" as people. Are whales really entitled to human rights? Here, a brief guide to this unusual civil rights case:

Who are PETA and the whales suing?

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