SeaWorld announced in July that three more animals—two Pacific white-sided dolphins and a beluga whale—had been born into miserable confinement at the company’s park in San Antonio. But on August 7, the Texas abusement park announced online that one of the dolphin calves had died. The surviving newborns will endure a lifetime of deprivation in cramped enclosures, just like the many other cetaceans who are still swimming in endless circles in SeaWorld’s tanks.
The New Prisoners at SeaWorld San Antonio Will Endure Cruel Exploitation
The beluga calf born at SeaWorld San Antonio is the fifth baby of Luna, who SeaWorld has used as a breeding machine for years. It was also announced that Pacific white-sided dolphins Piquet and Ohana each gave birth.
SeaWorld continues its cruel dolphin- and whale-breeding program, all so the abusement park can create more generations of animals to exploit. These babies will likely be forced to perform day in and day out and will endure a lifetime on display.
Cetaceans Want Their Freedom
The three new calves at SeaWorld San Antonio are now among the 41 cetaceans still trapped there. In their ocean habitats, they would be able to swim vast distances, form close bonds with their friends and family members, and choose their own mates. In nature, Pacific white-sided dolphins are highly social and curious and have even been known to associate with other ocean-dwelling species, such as humpback whales and resident orcas. In their tight-knit pods, belugas hunt, migrate, and collectively raise their young.
Following PETA’s relentless campaigning, SeaWorld ended its orca-breeding program and stopped allowing trainers to ride on dolphins’ backs in demeaning circus-style shows. Unless the company wants to sink completely, it needs to empty its tanks and send all the animals to seaside sanctuaries. Take action for the animals still stuck at SeaWorld today:
