Newsflash: The orcas currently kept in SeaWorld (and other marine “entertainment parks” around the world) suffer immensely during their short & brutal lives. They committed no crime to justify their incarceration in these prisons, and should all be released immediately — into the wild if possible, or into marine coastal sanctuaries if necessary.

I have faith that this statement alone is enough to inspire you to A) stop visiting these “parks”, B) stop buying any products that endorse them, & C) do your part to raise your voice for the ultimate (and hopefully imminent) release of these wrongfully convicted & wrongfully detained sentient beings … And yet if it isn’t, please consider the following facts:

*FACT — Orcas at SeaWorld spend most of their time floating listlessly at the surface of the water with little to no shade from the hot blistering sun. In the wild, orcas spend up to 95 percent of their time submerged and find shade in the depths of the ocean, but at SeaWorld their tanks are far too shallow. Because of this, their orcas have perpetual sunburns — shielded from the public eye with the help of black zinc oxide, which matches their skin.

*FACT — In nature, orcas choose their own mates. But at SeaWorld, orcas are forced to breed on a regular basis. Male orcas are trained to float on their backs, where their trainers then forcibly masturbate them to collect their sperm. Females are artificially inseminated and compelled to breed at a much younger age than they would normally. As one example of many, Katina was forced to breed when she was only 9 years old (at least five years earlier than she would have naturally bred in the wild). Now she is being used as a virtual breeding machine, and is even being inbred with her own sons.

*FACT — Orcas in the wild have an average life expectancy of 30 to 50 years — with their their estimated maximum life span being 60 to 70 years for males and 80 to more than 100 for females … And yet the median age of orcas kept in captivity is only 9 — only NINE!

*FACT — SeaWorld abusively confines its whales & dolphins — each of whom who would normally swim up to 100 miles a day in the wild — to tanks that, to them, are the size of a small bathtub … That’s like spending your entire life locked in a small closet!

My Friends, SeaWorld and other such “marine parks” may present themselves as “family establishments” full of fun “educational activities”, and yet these establishments are merely businesses, and their activities physically & emotionally harm the animals who are held there against their will.

SeaWorld has both the financial means and ability to do the Right Thing — to release all its orcas who are capable of reintegrating into the wild, and to create coastal sanctuaries for all those who cannot. However, the park instead chooses to stick with the same blatantly inhumane & grotesquely cruel business model it has used for the last 50 years, and this despite all the incontrovertible evidence of violence & injustice that animal rights protestors & the film “Blackfish” have clearly exposed to date.

As such, please shout “NO!” to SeaWorld and its enslavement of animals — by refusing to buy a ticket, by boycotting its sponsors (including Coca-Cola, American Express & Snickers), and by repeatedly & loudly demanding the park to release its prisoners.

Imprisoning others for entertainment is sick & immoral … Please firmly & loudly refuse to support such cruelty in any way in the future … Thank you.