Petition to British Airways to get them to stop profiting from promoting trips to SeaWorld

Date added: 10 June, 2014

A petition calling on British Airways to stop selling trips to see captive whales and dolphins at SeaWorld has attracted more than 94,500 signatures. It is calling on BA to end their links with attractions that include captive marine mammals. The increasing number of signatures on the petition comes as 2 new beluga whales are delivered to SeaWorld San Diego. The animals’ natural habitat is in arctic and sub-arctic waters, swimming huge distances each  year.  A lifetime in a concrete tank awaits them at SeaWorld, and “training.”  Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), a charity that works to protect cetaceans, is backing the petition as part of a wider campaign to stop tour operators, including BA, Virgin Holidays and Thomas Cook, from offering trips to see captive whales and dolphins.  BA responded to the petition on change.org, attempting to wash its hand of responsibility, by saying that it was up to consumers whether or not they opted to book trips to SeaWorld. BA is currently selling 3-day passes to SeaWorld Orlando.  WDC said for BA to somehow claim that by selling these trips it is not part of the problem is bizarre. 

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The change.org petition – to British Airways – is at 

Stop selling trips to SeaWorld. End your support for these cruel orca circuses.

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Anti SeaWorld petition gathers momentum

A petition calling on British Airways to stop selling trips to see captive whales and dolphins at SeaWorld has attracted more than 85,000 signatures [94,500 on 10th June]

Beluga whales are kept in captivity at SeaWorld in San Diego, but in the wild live in arctic waters.

Beluga whales are kept in captivity at SeaWorld in San Diego, but in the wild live in arctic waters.  Photo: AP

By  (Telegraph)

6 Jun 2014

The petition is calling on the airline, which sells holiday packages that include tickets to resorts such as SeaWorld, to end their links with attractions that include captive marine mammals.
The increasing number of signatures on the petition comes as two new beluga whales are delivered to SeaWorld San Diego. Atla and Klondike, a four-year-old female and an 11-year-old male, join others of the species already on display at the park. The park’s website says belugas are “one of our most sociable animals”.
Beluga whales average three to five metres in length and weigh up to 1,600kg. In the wild, where they are found in arctic and sub-arctic waters, they swim hundreds of miles up rivers in summer months to reach calving grounds.
Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), a charity that works to protect cetaceans, is backing the petition as part of a wider campaign to stop tour operators, including British Airways, Virgin Holidays and Thomas Cook, from offering trips to see captive whales and dolphins.
British Airways responded to the petition on change.org by saying that it was up to consumers whether or not they opted to book trips to SeaWorld. A spokesperson said: “In common with many airlines and travel companies in the UK, we offer services intended to make the booking of holiday experiences more convenient for members of the public who wish to visit SeaWorld attractions.
We offer similar arrangements in regard to theme parks and other places of interest at many destinations on our global network. Whether members of the public choose to make use of these arrangements is entirely up to them.” It added that animal welfare at SeaWorld parks was a matter for the relevant US authorities but that it had no reason not to have confidence in the expertise of those bodies. On its website, British Airways is currently selling three-day passes to SeaWorld Orlando from £77 per person. It claims to offer customers the chance to “get up close to marine animals and ride exhilarating rides” and “interact with dolphins.” For the San Diego park, it promises the opportunity to see “playful dolphins, magnificent white beluga whales and friendly penguins.” Danny Grove, a spokesperson for WDC, said: “It is cruel and for BA to somehow claim that by selling these trips it is not part of the problem is bizarre. They are an active part of the whole process, and make money from it, not an innocent bystander. Virgin Holidays is listening to our requests and we feel BA can, and should do better.” Telegraph Travel reported earlier this year on Virgin’s response to the WDC campaign, in which the holiday company said it was beginning an “engagement process” to investigate the debate around captive cetaceans as it expects its industry partners to meet required welfare standards. Since then, Virgin has had discussions with WDC regarding the campaign. Danny added: “WDC launched its campaign in April asking [holiday companies] not to sell these trips and we were then pleased to be asked by Virgin to engage in recent face-to-face discussions about the issue. British Airway’s response however, is very disappointing.” This month, STA Travel, the student travel company, stopped selling trips to SeaWorld, citing low demand from customers. It also dropped elephant rides because of welfare concerns. A SeaWorld spokesperson said: “For SeaWorld there is no higher priority than the health and well-being of our animals and any claims to the contrary made by these extremists are simply wrong. As we have said many times, SeaWorld, not extreme animal rights groups, is a true animal welfare organisation with the highest standards of care, state-of-the-art animal habitats, and a commitment to animal welfare, education and conservation that spans five decades.” “SeaWorld Parks operate under U.S. Governmental animal welfare law, including the Animal Welfare Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act and are fully accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums and the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks & Aquariums. We set the highest standards in the zoological community for the care and interpretation of marine mammals. ” The spokesperson added that anyone wishing to read about SeaWorld’s animal care can consult its website. A poll conducted earlier this year by responsibletravel.com, an online travel agent for responsible holidays, and the Born Free Foundation, found that 86 per cent of people would not wish to visit a marine park to see whales and dolphins as part of an overseas holiday.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/10881176/Anti-SeaWorld-petition-gathers-momentum.html .

British Airways website promoting its holidays with Seaworld trips http://www.britishairways.com/en-gb/destinations/orlando/seaworld-orlando BA Seaworld holidays

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10 JUNE 2014  (Whale and Dolphin Conservation blog)

WDC welcomed the invitation to participate in Virgin’s recent meeting held in Miami, Florida on June 3-4 of last week, the purpose of which was to provide high quality stakeholder input to a landmark debate on the issue of keeping whales and dolphins in captivity.

Pro and anti-captivity representatives were present. Virgin’s destinations supply chains (e.g., ‘swim with dolphin’ programs and aquaria) were represented, as well as experts from welfare and conservation organizations actively engaged in the issue of captivity.

Beluga whale

In late February, WDC (Whale and Dolphin Conservation) launched its campaign asking tour operators (including Virgin Holidays) not to sell trips to places like SeaWorld.

A few days later, Sir Richard Branson made a simple announcement that Virgin Holidays will not partner with any organization that does not pledge to never again take whales and dolphins from the sea.

Shortly after that, Virgin announced that it was to begin an engagement process (starting with the meeting in Miami) to gather a broad spectrum of information and opinion regarding the debate on captive whales and dolphins and the role of tourism in the global protection of these magnificent, intelligent and socially complex creatures.

This process is a positive move towards WDC’s aim of eventually ending tourism that supports the confinement and cruel trade in whales and dolphins.

Fundamental to real, incremental and positive change towards a brighter future for whales and dolphins in captivity is Sir Richard’s pledge. Although the pledge seems fairly straightforward and simple, it is anything but.

The difficult part is defining what exactly this pledge means, and how it should be implemented. This is where the hard work began, and continues, in our dialogue with Virgin Holidays.

Explicitly stated as part of this pledge is Sir Richard’s belief that no dolphins or whales should ever again be killed by humans, or taken from the ocean for marine theme parks.

On its own, the pledge could be applied to all of the pressing issues confronting whales and dolphins in the wild, and the threats posed to their health and welfare. However, as the pledge’s focus is on captivity and the role of tourism in influencing the global protection of the oceans, we hope that we can make clear for Virgin the critical connections between tourism and the international capture and trade in dolphins for marine parks, and the demand created by all captive facilities – whether supplied by whales and dolphins bred in captivity or those taken from the wild.

This engagement process is historic. It is the first time that whale and dolphin welfare experts, the tourism industry and the aquarium industry, including SeaWorld, have literally come to the same table to discuss these important issues.

We may not all agree, but it is a place to start in finding some common ground towards real, progressive change for whales and dolphins in the wild and in captivity. Change can take many forms, and we are committed to this process of addressing captivity, step by step. It is going to be a long process – incremental steps will be required, but we are in it for the long term and proud to be involved from the start.

I am confident that we can all do better for whales and dolphins in captivity, not least with the leadership of Richard Branson and the Virgin brand.

http://uk.whales.org/blog/courtneyvail/2014/06/its-all-about-pledge 

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British Airways responds to the petition:

We offer similar arrangements in regard to theme parks and other places of interest at many destinations on our global network. Whether members of the public choose to make use of these arrangements is entirely up to them.

We note the concerns you have raised in relations to animal welfare. We feel sure you will be aware that regulation of animal welfare at SeaWorld is a matter for the relevant federal and state authorities in the US.

We have no reason not to have confidence in the expertise of these authorities in what is a highly specialised field far removed from the world of aviation.”

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Sign the pledge if you feel BA should stop promoting tourism that makes them profit, from the suffering and poor treatment of sea mammals.

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Stop selling trips to SeaWorld. End your support for these cruel orca circuses.

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Richard Branson criticised for selling SeaWorld trips

Conservationists have told Virgin boss Sir Richard Branson “don’t be a d***” and stop selling trips to see whales and dolphins held captive in theme parks

By  (Telegraph)

 27 Feb 2014

The billionaire founder of the Virgin group comes under attack in a new campaign by Whale and Dolphin Conservation (WDC), a global charity that works on the conservation and protection of cetaceans.
Sir Richard’s company sells packages to SeaWorld, where whales and dolphins perform in tanks for tourists.
WDC has made a video showing Sir Richard’s head superimposed onto a naked body, with subtitles that suggest: “don’t make a whale pay so you can make some profit on your Virgin holiday” and “selling package trips to SeaWorld sucks/ do you really need the cruelty bucks”.
The WDC campaign, which is also targeting operators such as Thomas Cook, Cosmos, Thomson and First Choice, is calling for holidaymakers to sign a petition asking Virgin Holidays and the other tour operators to stop selling trips to theme parks like SeaWorld.
The campaign appears to have achieved some success: Virgin Holidays told Telegraph Travel today that it has begun an “engagement process” to investigate the debate around captive cetaceans as it expects its industry partners to meet required welfare standards. As part of this six-month process, Sir Richard plans to visit some theme parks and other tourist facilities in person.
Sir Richard said: “I’ve instructed Virgin Holidays not to deal with any organisations that do not pledge that they will never again take cetaceans from the sea. We hope other holiday companies will follow suit. Since – I believe – that animals bred in captivity cannot safely be released, we will examine what is best to do with this issue and others in the engagement process.” SeaWorld is not the only attraction offering shows starring the mammals – others include Discovery Cove in the US and Atlantis in Dubai – but it is the most high profile in the UK. The WDC campaign literature argues that guidance from Abta, the UK travel association of which Virgin and others are members, recommends that “animal handling and contact by the public should be discouraged” and that “animals should be able to escape other individuals, public view and interaction at all times”. On its website, WDC asks why the trips are being offered to the public and why the likes of Virgin Holidays are “still profiting from the cruel captivity industry.” The charity said it is singling out Branson because of his ongoing involvement in marine conservation, and argues that this is at odds with selling holidays that include trips to SeaWorld. Virgin said that its engagement process will gather a broad spectrum of opinion from the scientific community, commercial partners, other travel companies, the general public, conservation organisations and the travel industry, to improve the company’s knowledge of issues surrounding animal welfare in the travel industry. WDC claims that five SeaWorld orcas were taken from the wild and that “most of the orcas held by SeaWorld die in their teens.” It also says that an orca at SeaWorld would have to circle its tank 1,400 times to match the distance it would naturally travel in the wild each day. In an entry posted yesterday on his blog, Sir Richard wrote: “I believe no dolphins or whales should EVER again be killed by humans, or TAKEN from the ocean for marine theme parks. However, as far as I know, animals that have been bred in captivity cannot safely be released. So if the ones who are currently in captivity have to be kept there it is critically important that they are treated properly and given the necessary environment to thrive. As long as this criteria is met I believe access to these magnificent creatures in the proper humane conditions – alongside ocean research and exploration – can help to educate our children and improve our understanding.” Last year, a documentary film called Blackfish, a Native American name for killer whales, brought international attention to the plight of orcas kept in captivity, telling the story of Tilikum, a killer whale held by SeaWorld. It also showed the dangers associated with keeping the creatures in tanks, after Tilikum was involved in the killing of three people. Also in 2013, the group PETA, which stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, bought shares in SeaWorld so that it could attend shareholder meetings, and called for the theme park group to release all its captive cetaceans into the wild. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/10664715/Richard-Branson-criticised-for-selling-SeaWorld-trips.html . .

. See also blog by WDC on what should happen to captive orcas, and on their relationship with SeaWorld  http://us.whales.org/blog/chrisbutler-stroud/2014/04/wdc-position-on-beluga-whale-shows-at-changfeng-ocean-world-in .

. See also

Blackfish, SeaWorld and the backlash against killer whale theme park shows

Willie Nelson is just one of the artists rushing to cancel gigs at SeaWorld after seeing Blackfish, the documentary about killer whales who have attacked their trainers.
  • “…it is still difficult to avoid the conclusion of most experts and many trainers: orcas are profoundly ill-suited to life in a tank. “Of all the places to keep killer whales in captivity,” says Jett, “SeaWorld is the best – that’s a pretty sad statement. Some animals can adapt to life in a captive environment, but killer whales are clearly not one of them. We can’t come close to duplicating their life in the wild.”
  • “For all the outrage over Blackfish, it is business as usual at SeaWorld. After some aggressive ticket discounting, its profits in the third quarter of 2013 soared to $120m.  “

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Posted: Tuesday, June 10th, 2014. Filed in Biodiversity News, General News, Recent News.