Giant 3-D ‘Orca’ to ‘Swim Circles’ Around SeaWorld Orlando in Desperate Plea
Miserable Orca on PETA Mobile Billboard Will Urge People to Stay Away From Animal Prison
For Immediate Release:
November 2, 2018
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
People in Orlando on Saturday are in for an eyeful, as a truck giving the illusion that it’s transporting a listless orca in a tiny tank will circle SeaWorld Orlando as well as busy downtown areas and tourist attractions to urge people to steer clear of the notorious abusement park. The billboard with the realistic image will proclaim, “Collapsed Fins! Broken Teeth! Tiny Cell! Prisoner of SeaWorld! Don’t Go!”
The billboard with an LED display will circle SeaWorld, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and downtown Orlando on Saturday, November 3, from 12 noon to 10 p.m.
“Far-ranging, complex orcas’ bodies and minds break down as they’re forced to swim in endless circles day after day in SeaWorld’s tiny tanks,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s lifelike orca will draw attention to the profound suffering that these animals endure in captivity and, hopefully, inspire kind people to avoid SeaWorld like the plague.”
In the wild, orcas may travel as far as 140 miles in a day with their family pods. But at SeaWorld, they swim listlessly in circles in chemical-filled water inside barren tanks that, to them, are the size of a bathtub. Many have severely damaged teeth, sometimes caused by gnawing on the metal bars of the tanks out of stress. More than 40 orcas have died on SeaWorld’s watch, from causes such as severe trauma, intestinal gangrene, and chronic cardiovascular failure—and not one has come close to the maximum life expectancy of the species in nature.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—has long called on SeaWorld to develop seaside sanctuaries for the orcas. Numerous organizations and companies—including the Miami Dolphins, STA Travel, and JetBlue, Southwest, and United airlines—have ended their affiliations with SeaWorld as the company’s cruelty has come to light.
For more information, please visit SeaWorldOfHurt.com.