Wearing little more than black and white bodypaint, 39 PETA “orcas” gathered in front of the Urban Light installation at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) on Friday and, simultaneously, fell “dead.” Each protester held a sign with the name of one of the 39 orcas who have died—from pneumonia, infections, and other captivity-induced ailments—on SeaWorld’s watch. The protest comes in response to SeaWorld’s stated focus on Los Angeles as its primary target market.
LIVE in #LosAngeles: "Orcas" stage die-in to represent the 39 who have died on #SeaWorld's watch. https://t.co/MBK6p7765E
— PETA (@peta) July 7, 2017
“PETA is encouraging families to enjoy LACMA, the La Brea Tar Pits, beaches, and the many other animal-friendly attractions right here in Los Angeles,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “This is a world-class city with some of the best entertainment on the planet, and there’s no reason to go to San Diego to watch suffering animals swim in endless circles.”
While orcas in the wild work cooperatively to find food, share intricate relationships, and traverse up to 100 miles of ocean every day, those at SeaWorld are housed in incompatible groups inside tiny tanks and have even been given the drug diazepam to manage stress-induced aggressive behavior.
What You Can Do
In addition to boycotting the abusement park, 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.
