PETA statement re SeaWorld’s fourth quarter losses

For Immediate Release:
February 26, 2015

Since SeaWorld’s earnings have plunged a tremendous $25.4 million this fourth quarter and its attendance has fallen 4.2 percent in 2014, it has never been clearer that the tide has turned against the abusement park following the critically acclaimed film Blackfish. SeaWorld’s attendance has tanked, and its CEO resigned amid hundreds of layoffs. In addition, corporate partners such as Southwest Airlines, Panama Jack, Virgin America, and many more have cut ties with the park. People who care about animals are disturbed to learn the truth behind captivity at SeaWorld, and abusing animals for profit will soon be something that’s relegated to the history books.

As Scott Maxwell noted in his editorial in the Orlando Sentinel earlier this week, “SeaWorld doesn’t exist to help animals. It exists to make money.” Currently, it doesn’t seem to do either of these things well. And he goes on, “It is time for the park [to] evolve, too … to a day where bloody headlines are a thing of the past.” The only way to do that is to release its captive orcas to coastal sanctuaries.