Veterinarian Finds Orcas at SeaWorld With Scars and Broken Teeth, Sea Lions at Risk of Eye Damage

PETA to Hold News Conference to Discuss Findings, Call for Immediate Federal Action

For Immediate Release:
August 10, 2015

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

PETA Foundation veterinarian Dr. Heather Rally, who is experienced in working with marine mammals, has found what she believes are multiple violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act at SeaWorld San Antonio, including evidence of orcas with severe dental trauma and scarring and sea lions forced to gaze up toward the sun in order to get food from visitors, despite having extremely photosensitive eyes.

PETA is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to send inspectors to SeaWorld immediately to investigate these findings. Dr. Rally will join PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—for a news conference about her report on Tuesday:

When:        Tuesday, August 11, 12 p.m.

Where:       Embassy Suites San Antonio Riverwalk–Downtown, 125 E. Houston St., San Antonio

“I witnessed orcas at SeaWorld suffering from severe dental trauma, likely from biting the bars and sides of their enclosures in frustration, and sea lions, who are prone to ocular diseases, being displayed with almost no shade and forced to look directly up into the sun in order to beg for fish,” Dr. Rally says. “I also saw orcas covered with marks and scars that are likely the result of housing incompatible animals together in extremely small tanks, leading to inescapable fights.”

For more information, please visit SeaWorldOfHurt.com.