SeaWorld’s Free Teacher Passes Will Draw Protest

Textbook Case of Abuse: Listless, Scarred Animals Prompt PETA to Call on Educators to Learn More and Boycott Cruel Park

For Immediate Release:
October 28, 2014

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

A recent avalanche of bad publicity over SeaWorld’s practice of confining orcas to tiny concrete tanks has the park scrambling to recoup its losses—this time, the company is attempting to lure teachers into its park by offering free passes. But PETA members will be greeting any takers at the scene, encouraging those attending to rethink their support of SeaWorld’s abusement park, which isn’t educational at all.

When:   Wednesday, October 29, 4 p.m.

Where:  SeaWorld, 7007 SeaWorld Dr., Orlando

“SeaWorld’s reputation and stock have almost hit rock bottom because people understand that condemning marine mammals to life in captivity should be relegated to the history books,” says PETA Foundation Deputy General Counsel Delcianna Winders. “PETA will be waiting to remind teachers that their job is to teach children to have respect and compassion for these sensitive, intelligent animals—not take a freebie to see them in prison.”

At least 37 orcas have died at U.S. SeaWorld facilities from causes ranging from severe trauma to intestinal gangrene, and the federal government has cited SeaWorld for violating the Animal Welfare Act. Last month, PETA alerted federal authorities to reports that animals at SeaWorld were suffering from visible scars and lesions and engaging in repetitive, abnormal behaviors.

PETA—whose motto says, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—is calling on SeaWorld to develop ocean sanctuaries in which orcas could be rehabilitated and finally have the opportunity to engage in natural behavior that visitors could observe from nearby “whale watching” centers.

For more information, please visit SeaWorldOfHurt.com.