Actor Bella Thorne turns director and editor for an emotional new PETA video campaign, which features two spots exposing the miserable lives of animals confined at SeaWorld.
In one video, Thorne dives deep into the role of an orca held captive at SeaWorld. Submerged in a narrow tank, she violently thrashes around and screams out for help.
“So desperate to escape, I chew metal bars and ram into concrete walls. … I’m not a performer—I’m a prisoner.”
In another short, Thorne somberly recounts how SeaWorld forcibly impregnates female dolphins, forced a baby orca named Shamu to perform after her mother was shot and killed in front of her during her capture, and keeps orcas in tanks so cramped and shallow that the animals lash out in frustration—including by attacking one another and peeling each other’s skin off. “This is hard to get through,” she says emotionally, struggling to continue reading.
Thorne told PETA that she couldn’t stop crying while editing her videos, which include footage of animals languishing in measly pools, slamming themselves into concrete walls, attacking each other, and being forced to perform at SeaWorld.
Thorne is part of a long list of celebrities—including Joan Jett, Lala Kent, Noah Cyrus, Nikki Glaser, P!nk, and Steve Aoki—who have teamed up with PETA to speak out against abusement parks.
Be a Thorne in SeaWorld’s Side—Take Action!
More than 40 orcas and over 500 other dolphins and whales have died at SeaWorld, but it’s not too late to help the animals still suffering there—like Corky, the longest-held captive orca in the world. While her siblings and other members of her pod swim free in the ocean, Corky swims in endless circles in a tank.
Help PETA and Thorne tank SeaWorld’s profits by never visiting its facilities—and while you’re at it, stay far away from all establishments that abuse and exploit animals. You can also take action by urging SeaWorld to release Corky and others to seaside sanctuaries:
