San Diego International Airport has blocked three versions of PETA’s anti-SeaWorld ad featuring an orca in a bowl alongside the words “Run Screaming From SeaWorld. He Would if Only He Could,” despite PETA’s efforts to revise the ad to meet the airport’s increasingly outrageous advertising standards.
PETA submitted three iterations of the ad—including one advertising T-shirts for sale on PETA’s website after the airport claimed that ads must propose a commercial transaction—but then the airport announced that it prohibits “advocacy” advertisements, a restriction that had not previously been mentioned and was apparently added after PETA successfully sued the airport for attempting to block a previous anti-SeaWorld ad featuring Kathy Najimy in 2014.
It’s no secret that San Diego International Airport runs SeaWorld ads, despite the controversy over the park’s treatment of captive orcas and other animals. Yet the airport repeatedly refuses to run PETA’s ad—citing increasingly flimsy and discriminatory reasons—even though we’ve bent over backwards to comply with its advertising guidelines.
PETA is campaigning aggressively against SeaWorld, and the abusement park has been in free fall ever since its cruel treatment of animals was exposed to millions in the critically acclaimed CNN documentary Blackfish. While orcas in the wild travel up to 100 miles per day, SeaWorld keeps them in tiny concrete tanks of chemically treated water. The orcas at SeaWorld—suffering from stress and frustration—break their teeth and endure chronic pain from gnawing on the pool gates.
What You Can Do
In addition to boycotting the parks, you can do more to help the animals imprisoned at SeaWorld. Click the button below to ask the company to end all animal acts at its parks and release the animals it holds captive into seaside sanctuaries.
