New Poll Reveals Americans Are United in Support of National Orca Breeding Ban
Research Shows Nationwide Support for Legislation Protecting Orcas From Captivity
For Immediate Release:
July 27, 2016
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
The nation may be divided on many things, but in a poll conducted by leading market-research firm Lincoln Park Strategies, the vast majority of American adults expressed support for legislation that would ban breeding captive orcas. Following SeaWorld’s decision to end its captive orca breeding program as a result of widespread public concern over the park’s practices and animal welfare, the June poll questioned 999 adults nationwide on whether they’re in favor of legislation banning orca breeding at any entertainment facility—and a whopping 68 percent of respondents said that they are.
The finding comes on the heels of two bills that would offer orcas additional protections: the federal Orca Responsibility and Care Advancement Act and the California Orca Protection Act.
“The public doesn’t want to see orcas trapped in SeaWorld’s concrete, chlorinated prisons, deprived of any semblance of a natural life,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA wants SeaWorld, which has ended its captive-orca breeding program, to take the next vital step and retire the orcas to seaside sanctuaries, where they can feel ocean currents and hear their families’ calls.”
Lincoln Park Strategies conducted the survey online in the U.S. on June 19, 2016, on behalf of PETA. No information was given about SeaWorld’s breeding programs to the adults who were polled, aside from the following question: “The marine park Seaworld recently ended its programs of breeding orca whales that were used for their live animal shows in response to concerns over how the animals were treated in captivity. Do you support or oppose legislation being passed that would similarly ban orca breeding at any entertainment facility in the country moving forward?”
For more information, please visit PETA’s website SeaWorldOfHurt.com.
