PETA statement re death of beluga whale at SeaWorld

For Immediate Release:
July 4, 2014

If there’s a heaven, Ruby’s in it—and if not, nothingness beats living in misery at SeaWorld as this beluga has done for the past 17 years. She was captured at only 2 years old and separated from her loving pod forever—all to satisfy an amusement park owner’s greed. SeaWorld used Ruby for many years as a breeding machine in order to retain its dwindling population of captive beluga whales for exhibit. As with most marine mammals who cannot breed in captivity, having been deprived of all that is natural and important to them, Ruby was artificially inseminated. She rejected her first born in 2008, and her calf died one month later. PETA and the millions of people who watched Blackfish understand the grim reality behind SeaWorld’s business. SeaWorld must close and return these magnificent animals to their full and wonderful lives in the oceans where they belong.