Happening Now: 10 ‘Orcas’ Hold ‘Die-In’ at SeaWorld’s Aquatica

PETA Calls for Families to Boycott SeaWorld Until Theme Park Releases Orcas to Coastal Sanctuaries

For Immediate Release:
July 3, 2017

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

What:    Ten “orcas” in black-and-white wetsuits washed up at Big Surf Shores at SeaWorld’s Aquatica San Diego today, the start of the busy holiday week. The PETA protesters are “beaching” themselves under a sign proclaiming, “SeaWorld Kills,” until they’re forced to leave.

When:    Today, July 3, from 2 p.m. until the protesters are forced to leave

Where:    Aquatica San Diego, Big Surf Shores (immediately to the left of the park’s entrance), 2052 Entertainment Cir., Chula Vista

“Thirty-nine orcas have dropped dead on SeaWorld’s watch, and not one of them died from old age,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “This summer, PETA is calling on everyone to stay away from SeaWorld until the company agrees to retire the surviving orcas to sea sanctuaries.”

While orcas in the wild share intricate relationships, work cooperatively to find food, and traverse up to 100 miles of ocean every day, those at SeaWorld are housed in incompatible groups inside tiny tanks and have even been given the drug diazepam to manage stress-induced aggressive behavior. PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—is calling on SeaWorld to develop sea sanctuaries where the orcas could live a more natural life.

Photos and video footage will be available later today. For more information, please visit SeaWorldOfHurt.com.