On the 1st of February, the longtime culprit of animal abuse––SeaWorld––vowed to finally put an end to its show that forces dolphin trainers to ride on dolphins’ backs and even faces.
The massive live attraction company finally decided to pledge not to continue this act any longer after PETA––short for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals––organized a campaign. As an integral part of this campaign, PETA included a veterinary report that proved dolphins suffered extreme injuries and pains at the San Diego, San Antonio, and Orlando SeaWorld locations.
Furthermore, PETA managed to publish many localized ads against SeaWorld’s abusive practices as well as earn the support of actor Alec Baldwin. In a conference call with SeaWorld officials, Baldwin asked, “When will SeaWorld stop allowing trainers to use dolphins as surfboards, standing on their faces and backs, to perform circus-style shows?”
To put the icing on the cake, PETA is also a shareholder in the SeaWorld company and initiated a shareholder proposal in December of 2019 to put an end to the “dolphin surfing” practice.
In response to the consistent and successful efforts by PETA, SeaWorld agreed that it will no longer feature any shows that consist of people riding on dolphins’ backs and also will put an end to people riding on dolphin’s faces, which is something that is only reported to occur at its San Diego location.
While this is a great victory for PETA and the animal rights movement, PETA is still on a mission to put an end to any dolphin, orca, and sea animal suffering at SeaWorld. In a recent statement, PETA Executive VP Tracy Reiman said, “The company seems intent on being dragged, kicking and screaming, into ultimately releasing these animals to seaside sanctuaries. PETA is calling on it to put a plan in place now.”
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