Wildlife campaigners to stage peaceful protest against Seaworld
Animal welfare campaigners are staging a peaceful demonstration tomorrow to put pressure on Virgin Holidays to stop selling tickets to Seaworld.
The protestors want high profile boss Sir Richard Branson to set a precedent by taking a stand against the parks, which feature dolphin and orca shows.
Critics say the shows are harmful to the animals, claiming they are kept in captivity and forced to do tricks.
The demonstration, organised by two Crawley residents, will take place in a park in the town, which is home to Virgin Holidays’ head office and also the head office of Virgin Atlantic.
Philip Mansbridge, CEO of Horsham-based Care for the Wild International, will be speaking at the event.
"We are working hard to protect animals used in the tourist industry through our RIGHT-tourism campaign, and dolphins and whales are some one of the most exploited," he said.
"There is growing evidence to show how intelligent and social these animals are, yet they are contained in tiny pools and forced to do un-natural tricks for our entertainment.
"It’s time for tourists to realise that if they pay for a ticket to a dolphinarium, then they are contributing to the abuse and suffering of the very dolphins and whales that they have come to see.
"Tour operators have a massive role to play in this, as they can choose not to sell tickets to places like SeaWorld. We understand though it’ll be a major step for that to happen, and we must also recognise that Virgin have actually been one of the leading companies in terms of responsible animal friendly tourism.
"But, we need a leader and we need a true dolphin hero – under Sir Richard’s command, Virgin are well placed to be that company.
"We know Richard Branson has undertaken an in-depth consultation into the way dolphins are treated, and we will await the results with interest."
As part of a new ‘pledge’ on captive whales and dolphins, Virgin is now demanding that its suppliers no longer capture cetaceans or acquire any wild-captured cetaceans, and only accept ill, orphaned or injured wild cetaceans deemed non-releasable by the appropriate government authorities. Suppliers must sign by September 30.
Virgin said it is still having "productive discussions" with the chief executive of SeaWorld, who has, as a first step, assured Sir Richard that the park will not capture wild cetaceans.
A Virgin spokesman said it had explained to the organisers of tomorrow’s demonstration that it could not attend the event because it would "compromise the integrity of the engagement process".
"But we will be seeking to include all voices in the debate as it progresses, at the appropriate time," he added.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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