Frommer: I Was Wrong About SeaWorld

Written by PETA

Posted 06-25-2010

18 Comments

eschipul / CC by 2.0

It takes a big man to admit he's made a mistake, and they don't come any bigger, at least in the travel world, than Arthur Frommer. In a blog post earlier this month, Frommer expressed regret for the times that he recommended SeaWorld in his popular travel guides:

"In doing so, I was as heedless of our treatment of the animal world as most of us who traipse to zoos and never think of what it means for such cognizant animals to be contained behind bars or in tiny spaces. I received this past week a letter from an official of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), one Debbie Leahy, that makes such an irrefutable point that I, for one, am ashamed at the shallow perspective of my earlier reaction to SeaWorld.
. . .
Ms. Leahy is clearly right, and I have reconsidered my position. I am ashamed, I apologize for my former statements, and I will no longer recommend that tourists patronize the various SeaWorld parks."

Click here to read the letter that had such an impact on Frommer. And after you've visited his Web site to share some love, send an e-mail to SeaWorld and ask its officials if they're big enough to admit that they were wrong too.

Written by Alisa Mullins

Tags:

SeaWorld, April Evans, turtle, Frank Strick, Arnold Ziffel, Internet Soup, payback, whales, senator, Robert Byrd, arthur frommer, aquariums, frommers

Recent Comments

juliana commented:

8-22-2010 3:29 PM

THANK YOU ARTHUR FROMMER it takes courage and you used it
CAROLYN commented:

7-9-2010 10:54 PM

ARTHUR FROMMER I RESPECT YOU GREATLY. IT TAKES WISDOM TO THINK CRITICALLY AND CHANGE ONE'S MIND. THANK YOU FOR YOUR WISDOM AND EMPATHY. THANK YOU PETA FOR YOUR GREAT WORK AND UNVEILING THE TRUTH BEHIND IMAGE!
RACHEL commented:

7-8-2010 12:47 PM

Now thats what I call a REAL MAN
Rebecka commented:

6-29-2010 3:05 AM

I remember the Press in the U.K reporting the Death of Dawn but they only said she had been pulled under the water by her hair and Drown. They did not at all state the terrible injuries she also sustained. Why did the press cover it up why Protect Sea World! How many more will choose to die treating Orca's like Circus Animals.
KittyC commented:

6-28-2010 4:56 PM

I was watching and interview with Jean Cousteau and he brought up that Orcas are animals who rely on sonar to navigate and that when they are forced to live in these cement cells that is also taken from them. It would be like being blind and deaf and lost. I hadn't thought of that before.
dazi pryer commented:

6-28-2010 1:52 PM

im prolly gonna go 2 the zoo this week!!! How am i sposed to get out of it?????
Nancy Worsham commented:

6-28-2010 4:59 AM

Many people are proud of you Arthur Frommer! Thanks for being so honest and humane. You care!
Sarah Grunwald commented:

6-28-2010 2:20 AM

How neat. this is a great idea for those of us involved in the horse drawn carriage industry. We should write to guide books about this.
Antoine commented:

6-27-2010 3:42 PM

we need to acknowledge how commendable this is! Many people change their minds quietly about things but for him to apologize publicly like this proves that he has an open humble and critical mind...someone send this guy a vegan starter kit! What a wonderful person! Wondeful idea maureen perhaps Sea World and other such places could become sanctuaries for these whales in the future.
Christine commented:

6-27-2010 3:02 PM

Zoos should be used to house only rescued animals such as those from shoddy roadside zoos. Zoos could give a good life to an animal that has no other alternative.

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