When SeaWorld decided to offer up 20 million shares of common stock in an initial public offering, no one expected PETA to be one of the first in line to buy.

But Wall Street was in for a surprise. We quickly purchased the smallest number of shares necessary to give us the right to attend and speak at annual meetings and to submit shareholder resolutions asking for policy changes. Our first order of business as part owners of SeaWorld? Getting the orcas out—including Corky, who has been enslaved by SeaWorld for 44 years.  

iStockphoto.com/DaveRig

We will educate stockholders about how marine parks tear orcas and dolphins away from their homes and families and imprison them in minuscule concrete tanks, where they suffer from captivity-induced stress and illness. 

And of course meanwhile, PETA and our supporters will continue trying to win freedom for orcas and dolphins as soon as possible by telling everyone that these animals live in a SeaWorldofHurt. 

Update: Thanks to pressure by animal advocates, zoo officials have moved Diego to a larger enclosure, where he can now feel grass under his paws. They have also moved a lioness in with him, and he seems to be relishing the company of his new friend.

Published May 22, 2012:

Diego, a young lion, has spent most of his life alone in a cement and chain-link cage. Mexico's wildlife protection agency, PROFEPA, seized him during a criminal investigation when Diego was just a few months old. PROFEPA placed Diego in the Zacango Zoo outside Mexico City, where he has languished in a barren cell, alone (lions are by far the most social of the big cats). Telemundo star Pablo Azar has teamed up with PETA to persuade PROFEPA—which has legal custody of Diego—to send the lonely lion to a U.S. sanctuary that is standing by to receive him.

Photographs and video footage provided to PETA depict Diego pacing incessantly in his tiny cage—behavior that is indicative of stress, boredom, and frustration.

In his letter to PROFEPA, Azar implored:

At the sanctuary, Diego could finally enjoy the company of other lions, receive veterinary care, enjoy a vast space in which to roam and explore, and recover from the stress of intensive confinement. 

Urge Mexican officials to transfer Diego to the U.S. sanctuary.

Thanks go out to all the vigilant animal defenders who contacted us about a recent episode of MTV's The Hills, which showed a caged tiger pacing in a parking lot outside of Les Deux, a Los Angeles nightclub. During the show, Kristin Cavallari squealed that she wanted to touch the big cat. Had she done so, she might have been headed to the emergency room instead of the dance floor.

Back in May, we were alerted to this dreadful situation by an anonymous tipster, and we wrote to Les Deux. We pointed out that while tigers in the wild roam for miles as they hunt and raise their young, imprisoned animals can only pace back and forth as they go crazy from their unnatural confines. Their lives are filled with frustration, anxiety, and fear.

We're glad to report that PETA heard back from Lonnie Moore, who assured us that Les Deux will never again feature such a display, and added, "I am embarrassed and disappointed it ever happened in the first place." Plus, the Dolce Group, owner of Les Deux, has placed a statement on its Web site reading, "Dolce Group has enacted a policy that prohibits the exhibition of exotic animals at all of our businesses. The recent episode of The Hills which features a tiger at Les Deux was filmed prior to enacting an official policy. We have assured PETA that this will never happen again."

This is a perfect example of why it's so important to reach out to and enlighten others about animal issues. Please take a minute to thank Moore for his compassion. Then take a moment to learn about other ways you can help animals.

Written by Karin Bennett