Two incidents caught on videotape show that not only are dolphins at SeaWorld’s parks at risk while jammed in the tanks, they are also at risk when they come out of them. The first incident occurred at SeaWorld’s San Antonio location while overnight guests on a tour were feeding the dolphins before the park opened. Eyewitnesses report that two dolphins who performed a jumping trick crashed into each other, resulting in one dolphin getting thrown onto the concrete walkway below. The dolphin was bleeding and helpless as guests looked on.
The guests were asked to leave the area, and when they inquired later about what had happened, they were told that the dolphin had been taken to a holding pool to recover.
Meanwhile, at SeaWorld Orlando, a pilot whale got stuck on the shallow platform that SeaWorld uses to pose the animals. As horrified guests screamed, “The dolphin—he’s stuck!” the announcer blithely noted that the whale would get back into the pool on his own. Carlo De Leonibus, the person who posted the video, said that SeaWorld employees brushed him off when he alerted them to the situation and that the whale struggled for 20 to 25 minutes before two trainers came and pushed him back into the water.
Remember: Every SeaWorld ticket purchased is directly contributing to the animals’ miserable lives.
