It’s almost Father’s Day, and what better way is there to celebrate than by listening to adorable kids brag about their parents’ jobs? But what happens when Cindy gets up to talk about her SeaWorld orca–trainer dad? Watch the video to find out:
What Cindy told her classmates regarding orcas’ lives in the wild, where they get to swim for miles in the open ocean with their families by their sides, is true. But it’s not true at SeaWorld, “ooooobviously.”
And Cindy couldn’t be more spot-on when describing how “stressed” the orcas trapped at SeaWorld are. Orcas in captivity are deprived of everything that’s natural and important to them, causing them severe stress, anxiety, and boredom. To cope, they gnaw at the iron bars and concrete walls of the tanks, sometimes breaking their teeth.
© Free Morgan FoundationWhat’s more, orcas and other animals at SeaWorld often die prematurely from stress and other captivity-related causes.
And don’t even get Cindy (or us) started on SeaWorld’s history of capturing orcas from the wild—tearing them away from their families—just to sentence them to a lifetime of confinement and exploitation.
©Terrell C. Newby, Ph.D.Cindy’s dad’s bullsh**t statement that “the ocean is too dangerous for orcas” sounds just like SeaWorld’s deceitful advertising campaigns. Here’s hoping that he follows in the footsteps of Drs. Jeff Ventre and John Jett—two former SeaWorld trainers—and finds himself a new job … before his daughter’s next career day.
‘SeaWorld Orca Trainer’ Has Got to Go
We can’t wait for the day when “orca trainer at SeaWorld” is no longer a job title. Orcas deserve to be free—roaming the open ocean with their families—not forced into a life of constant confinement, deprivation, and degradation.
Urge SeaWorld to send its captive orcas to seaside sanctuaries, before it’s too late:
Special thanks to these USC students for the idea and creative direction:
Fabiana D’Addario
Lindsey Englander
Andrea Noguera
Aditya Ramnath
Shelby Saemann
Alida Van Geldren
