PETA to Native Hawaiian–Led Sea Life Park: Honor Hawaiian Tradition by Releasing Dolphins to a Seaside Sanctuary

For Immediate Release:
August 20, 2026

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Following news that Hawaiian Council has acquired Sea Life Park Hawaiʻi in Waimānalo—placing the park under Native Hawaiian stewardship for the first time in its history—PETA sent a letter today to Hawaiian Council President and CEO Kūhiō Lewis, urging him to end dolphin breeding at the facility and move the dolphins to seaside sanctuaries. As PETA writes, such a move would align with the values Hawaiian Council is already championing for the park and right historical wrongs.

In the letter, PETA notes that Sea Life Park Hawaii’s first dozens of dolphins were acquired by capturing them from the Pacific Ocean and, later, importing others captured from the Gulf of Mexico—including Kamaliʻi, who still languishes at the park after being taken from his ocean home more than 50 years ago. Later, the tanks were kept stocked by breeding more dolphins, with no intention of ever allowing them to experience the natural environments they were meant for. More than 100 dolphins have died at Sea Life Park Hawaii.

“Dolphins belong in the ocean, not languishing in barren tanks for decades on end,” says PETA President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on Hawaiian Council to lead with aloha by giving these long-suffering animals the chance to feel ocean currents and live out their lives with dignity in a seaside sanctuary.”

PETA points out that the tide has turned worldwide, as Canada, France, and Mexico have banned dolphin captivity, and in Hawaii, Maui County passed a historic local ordinance banning it. Just last year, the notorious Miami Seaquarium shut down after more than 50 years of imprisoning animals. Nearly every major travel company, including Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, and TripAdvisor, prohibits ticket sales to venues that offer dolphin interactions or performances, as companies and consumers alike recognize that no concrete tank or makeshift lagoon can meet dolphins’ complex physical and psychological needs.

In nature, dolphins choose their own partners, swim up to 60 miles a day, and form long-lasting friendships within their pods. Those used for hands-on encounters—like those at Sea Life Park—are confined to barren concrete tanks or shallow, makeshift lagoons and are often forced into incompatible social groups, with nowhere to escape when conflicts erupt.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—points out that when it comes to the ability to feel pain, hunger, and fear, a dolphin is a dog is a boy. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Lewis follows.

August 20, 2026

Kūhiō Lewis

President & CEO

Hawaiian Council

Dear Mr. Lewis:

Aloha from PETA and our more than 10 million members and supporters globally. I’m writing to open a discussion with you about the dolphins at Sea Life Park Hawai’i following the news that Hawaiian Council has acquired the park. As you shape your long-term vision for the property, we hope you’ll make an important commitment to no longer breeding dolphins and establish a plan to send them to seaside sanctuaries—a move that would align with the values Hawaiian Council is already championing for the park and right historical wrongs.

As you may know, Sea Life Park Hawaii’s first dozens of dolphins were acquired by capturing them from the Pacific Ocean, and later, importing others who were captured from the Gulf of Mexico—including Kamali’i, who still languishes at the park after being torn from his home and shipped there in the 1970’s. Later, the tanks were kept stocked by breeding more dolphins, with no intention of ever allowing them to experience the natural environments they were meant for. Experts agree that these animals exhibit a range of welfare problems, including stress, disease, and behavioral abnormalities due to conditions of confinement.

The world now recognizes that dolphins deserve freedom. Canada, France, and Mexico have banned dolphin captivity, and in Hawaii, Maui County passed a historic local ordinance banning it. Just last year, the notorious Miami Seaquarium shut down after more than 50 years of imprisoning animals. Nearly every major travel company, including Airbnb, Booking.com, Expedia, and TripAdvisor, prohibits ticket sales to venues that offer dolphin interactions or performances. Companies and consumers alike are recognizing that no concrete tank or makeshift lagoon can meet dolphins’ complex physical and psychological needs.

Sea Life Park Hawai’i has the opportunity to make a generational change and become a leader in marine animal welfare rather than a relic of a fading industry. May we please hear that you’ll end dolphin breeding at the facility and implement a plan to move them to seaside sanctuaries?

Mahalo for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Tracy Reiman

President