PETA Statement re SeaWorld CEO Stepping Down

For Immediate Release:
December 11, 2014

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Below, please find the statement from PETA Foundation Deputy General Counsel Delcianna Winders in response to SeaWorld’s announcement that SeaWorld CEO Jim Atchison will step down in January:

“Jim Atchison’s watch has meant lawsuits, tanking stock, canceled performances by musical acts, falling ticket sales, and continued deprivation and isolation for orcas at SeaWorld,” says Winders. “Public opinion has turned solidly against SeaWorld, and the park can’t turn back time. The only way to move is forward by finding someone who can take the park in an innovative new direction, one that PETA hopes will see animals released to coastal sanctuaries and new exhibits, such as state-of-the-art virtual reality experiences that would allow visitors to learn about and interact with marine life without imprisoning any animals.”

PETA’s motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment,” and more information about our campaign against SeaWorld is available at SeaWorldOfHurt.com.