Beloved Chinese Olympic Swimmer Calls for Orcas’ Freedom

Bronze Medalist Fu Yuanhui Stars in New PETA Asia Ad Urging People to Stay Away From Aquariums

For Immediate Release:
April 6, 2017

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

Wearing a T-shirt with the words “Give Orcas Their Freedom—Reject Aquariums,” beloved breakout star of the Rio 2016 Olympics and bronze medalist Fu Yuanhui stars in a new PETA Asia ad that proclaims, “It’s Not Cool to Imprison Orcas.”

“Confining orcas to aquarium tanks is like keeping a swimmer like me in a kids’ pool,” says Yuanhui. “PETA Asia and I encourage everyone to let orcas and other animals swim free in the ocean, where they belong.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—notes that captive orcas are displayed in concrete tanks that are 100 million times smaller than their homes in the wild, which they would share with their family pods. Orcas, bottlenose dolphins, and other marine mammals in captivity are denied the opportunity to move freely, choose what to eat, or escape incompatible tankmates, which often leads to fights.

Yuanhui joins a long list of athletes—including Amanda Beard, Tony Azevedo, Christen Press, and Nick Symmonds—who’ve teamed up with PETA or PETA Asia to promote kindness to animals.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.