Norwalk-Headquartered Company InBev Wants Theme Parks Off Its Hands

For Immediate Release:
August 14, 2008

Contact:
Lisa Wathne 757-622-7382

Norfolk, Va. -- Today, PETA sent a letter to Carlos Brito, CEO of Belgium-based beverage giant InBev, offering on behalf of a donor to buy one or more SeaWorld theme parks. InBev will inherit the parks as part of its $52 billion takeover of Anheuser-Busch, and word has it that InBev will unload the franchise to help finance the deal.

If Brito accepts the offer, PETA's donor plans to rehabilitate the orcas and other species in coastal sanctuaries and then release them. The exhibits would be replaced with state-of-the-art, virtual marine mammal displays that use technology similar to that of "Walking With Dinosaurs," a nationwide traveling show in which giant animatronic dinosaurs interact and move about the stage.

"This could be the end of the injustice at SeaWorld, where orcas and other dolphins are imprisoned in tiny tanks and forced to do silly tricks," says PETA Director Debbie Leahy. "We have no objection to InBev keeping the Budweiser flowing, but we'd love to see the company can the 'whale jails.'"

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

PETA's letter to InBev CEO Carlos Brito follows.

August 14, 2008

Carlos Brito, CEO
InBev NV/SA

Dear Mr. Brito:

I am writing on behalf of PETA and our more than 2 million members and supporters. PETA recently contacted InBev asking it to retire the Budweiser Clydesdale horses. Thank you for your commitment to looking into that issue further. We understand that once the acquisition of Anheuser-Busch is complete, SeaWorld amusement parks might be up for sale. A PETA donor has expressed interest in purchasing one or more SeaWorld marine mammal parks with the intention of releasing the captive animals to transitional coastal sanctuaries and replacing the live-animal exhibits with state-of-the-art virtual-reality exhibits.

We are very interested in this offer because the intelligent, social animals imprisoned at SeaWorld are and denied everything that is natural and important to them--all in the name of "entertainment." Many of these animals were violently captured from their ocean homes and are confined to tanks that, to the animals, are the size of a bathtub. In the wild, orcas and other dolphin species swim up to 100 miles a day in the open ocean, but captive cetaceans swim in endless circles in small tanks full of chemically treated water. Orcas and other dolphins have highly sophisticated sonar systems, and the reverberations that bounce off the walls of their barren surroundings cause some animals to go insane. Many are forced to learn circus-style tricks, and according to whistleblower tips from trainers, withholding food and isolating animals who refuse to perform are common training methods. Premature deaths of animals at SeaWorld are also common. Just this past April, a dolphin at SeaWorld's Orlando facility died after she collided with another dolphin while performing a stunt, and a baby killer whale died at SeaWorld's San Antonio park in June, just months after Taku, a male orca, died from pneumonia at the same facility.

Humane alternatives to these animal prisons—such as virtual-reality exhibits—can provide visitors with an exciting, educational experience. Large, open areas with immersive 3D video projections would allow visitors to view and interact with virtual orcas and other dolphin species. Incorporating light and motion sensors, sound sensors, computer consoles, and touch screens into the design would give visitors the opportunity to interact with virtual sea life. The experience would be like watching free-roaming wild animals, whereas captive animals' unnatural and repetitive behavior patterns--which are linked to their oppressive environments--are dull to watch and provide little educational value.

We urge you to allow the animals at SeaWorld to experience a more natural environment and give visitors an unforgettable 21st century techno-experience. I would appreciate hearing from you. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Kristie Phelps, Assistant Director
Animals in Entertainment Campaign