International travel company Virgin Holidays will no longer continue to do business with SeaWorld because of its treatment of dolphins and whales in captivity.
“We look to focus on offering customers more natural, at-distance encounters with these animals, and…we will be ending our long term partnerships with the likes of SeaWorld,” the travel company noted.
Animal right’s activist groups like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) hailed Virgin Holidays’ decision as a victory.
PETA claims that SeaWorld has a history of “notorious animal abuse” and applauded Virgin Holidays decision to end its relationship with the Florida theme park. PETA isn’t stopping there. The group is also pressuring Florida AAA to stop doing business with SeaWorld, calling on it to no longer provide tickets discounts. As it continues its efforts, PETA insists its goal is to “drive positive change in the tourism industry.”
But SeaWorld plans to stand its ground. The company noted it was sad to see travel groups like Virgin Holidays “succumbing to pressure from animal activists.” Sea World also claims groups like PETA are putting out misinformation about the theme parks working environment with the mammals.
“Animal activists are misleading and manipulating marine mammal science to advance their agendas,” insisted SeaWorld. “No company does more to protect marine mammals and advance cetacean research, rescue and conservation.”
PETA calls on other companies to follow Virgin Holidays’ example and boycott SeaWorld.
Florida Daily asked one tourism expert if the boycott would hurt Florida‘s tourism industry and was told “not really.” On the state’s tourism website, Visit Florida continues to proudly promote SeaWorld.
One tourism official with the state told Florida Daily they are aware of the pressure PETA and other animal rights activist groups are putting on companies not to do business with SeaWorld.
This same official said while the debate about how animals are treated is one thing, but when it comes to promoting tourism in the Sunshine State, Visit Florida will continue its partnership with SeaWorld.
Reach Ed Dean at ed.dean@floridadaily.com.
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Three cheers for Virgin Holidays. SeaWorld is shameless, and people who care about whales and dolphins will avoid any company that’s still doing business with it. That’s called the writing on the wall.
Smart companies want nothing to do with a business that keeps intelligent, sensitive animals in barren tanks and exploits them by forcing them to perform silly tricks.
Given all that is now known about how terribly animals suffer – and die prematurely – at SeaWorld, it boggles the mind that any family still buys tickets to this awful place. With so many other choices, why?
It’s 2019. No one wants to see exploited marine mammals in captivity anyway.
Any establishment still supporting #seaworldofhurt is on the wrong side of history. Imprisoning majestic aquatic animals to tiny tanks is immoral.
YEA for Seaworld I visit every-time I go to FLA I am a former FLA resident who supports Seaworld and the wonderful work they do to save and rehab many species. Virgin forgets there are many other airlines to fly with.. my Virgin travel card is going in the trash today. When a company bows to pressure from a group that KILLS over 94% of the animals it claims to”take in” year after year after year they are no one to listen to.. wwwpetakillsanimals.com Wake up Virgin..
Jan – You go girl!!! #SupportWorkingAnimals !!!!! Here are those awful (snicker!) Sea World volunteers RESCUING an animal caught in a shark net https://mobile.reuters.com/video/2019/06/27/whale-caught-in-shark-nets-rescued-off-a?videoId=567332037&videoChannel=117849
And guess what? Sea World to date has rescued over 35 THOUSAND animals in need from manatees to dolphins, to turtles and whales. 35K…How many has PeTa rescued? Oh yeah…Zero!
I support Sea World n there work, goodbye Virgin n AAA also !
Good for Seaworld and all the good work they do!! As far as Virgin and any other business that chooses to cater to PETA and other animal rights groups, you have and will lose my business.
I used to love going to see dolphin and whale shows- I just wanted to MEET one dolphin up close, make a connection maybe because I love them, you know? But then I learned that for every ONE individual you see in a tank- at least 5 died along the way. Many are killed in order to capture one- because the parents and the pods fight like hell to keep their young – so would you. If you were thrown in a tank and forced to perform or starve, I’m sure you’d want someone speaking out for you.
Heather you heard?? You believe everything you hear? Until you witness it firsthand, you can’t say it’s true. They do not kill to get their animals. They rehab and save animals. Without Sea World, many sea animals would die.
These stupid, evil activists tell so many lies that they all have big noses. Why would anyone believe PETA when they kill thousands of dovs and cats every year? That’s just insane. PETA has never been inside Sea World to witness anything. Sea World saves lives of animals every day. You close down Sea World and hundreds of sea animals will die because no one will ne there to save them. They nurture them back to health and release them back in the ocean. Would you rather have the sea animals die or keep Sea World open so they can save them. Sea World is much more than an amusement park. They do so much good. PETA wants to close them down so they can watch the dolphins, whales. Sea lions a d other sea animals die while they cheer about it. Do not support PETA. They are evil, murderers.
http://www.fakenonprofits.com/peta.html These people are not credible and their tax returns prove hey are misleading and ripping off donors
Very sad that a group who causes harm to animals is against a group who does a lot for animals…how strange is that???