Will the UK’s Largest Travel Association Discourage Orca Abuse?
This morning, PETA, World Cetacean Alliance, World Animal Protection, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, and Animal Aid and several members of Parliament rushed a letter to the chief executive of ABTA, the UK’s leading travel association, with an urgent request.
Our message is clear: ABTA must add visits to facilities that exploit whales, dolphins, and other cetaceans for entertainment to its unacceptable practices list.
The MPs who signed the letter are John McDonnell, Tonia Antoniazzi, Andrew Gwynne, Roger Gale, Caroline Lucas, Lisa Cameron, Sammy Wilson, Stuart McDonald, Henry Smith, and David Amess.
ABTA Is Letting Dolphins Down
ABTA discourages travel operators from promoting cruel activities like bullfighting, elephant rides, and animal circuses yet gives no decisive advice about captive cetacean attractions. This means that its members, such as TUI, continue to sell tickets to these unethical operations and profit from animal abuse without any industry accountability.
It also means that some tourists are unwittingly supporting marine parks that abuse orcas and other dolphins.
Marine Park Cruelty
The evidence is clear: cetaceans suffer in captivity. At marine parks, they’re unable to swim vast distances, choose their mates, or act on any of their natural instincts.
These sensitive and intelligent far-ranging marine mammals are forced to live in cramped concrete tanks and perform tricks day in and day out. This causes them severe psychological and physical anguish. Some break their teeth on the edges of their tanks in an effort to escape or float listlessly in their small prisons.
You Can Help Orcas
Major travel companies, including Tripadvisor, Virgin Holidays, British Airways Holidays, and, most recently, Club Med, have all adopted bans on promoting marine parks.
Join our campaign and let ABTA know that exploiting dolphins and whales must be on its unacceptable practices list, too!
