Animal Allies and Huge Crying ‘Orca’ to Crash SeaWorld 5K to Demand Corky’s Release
For Immediate Release:
April 10, 2025
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
Attendees at SeaWorld’s inaugural Fins and Flippers 5K will be greeted by a surprising sight when they arrive on Sunday: a giant crying “orca” chained to a massive inflatable arch, surrounded by a pod of PETA supporters. The animal allies will wield signs reading, “Boycott SeaWorld” and “Send Corky to a Seaside Sanctuary” as they call on the abusement park to release Corky—the longest-held captive orca in the world—to an ocean refuge where she could dive deep, swim fast, and have some semblance of a natural life.
“In their ocean homes, orcas can travel up to 150 miles in a day, but Corky has been confined to tiny concrete tanks where she can do nothing but swim in circles for over 55 years,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA urges everyone to run away from SeaWorld and all marine parks where dolphins and whales are imprisoned and exploited for a cheap buck.”
Where: 500 Sea World Dr. (at the intersection with Sea World Way), San Diego
When: Sunday, April 13, 6:30 a.m.
Why: More than 40 orcas and over 500 other dolphins and whales have died in SeaWorld’s barren tanks, many of them prematurely. SeaWorld was recently cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture after a newborn dolphin escaped from the medical pool they were held in with their mother and into another pool that confines dolphins and pilot whales, “creating a potential for distress, injury, or death” for the baby.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
