With Second Day of Action, Pressure Mounts on Thomas Cook to Drop SeaWorld
Local activists held a series of coordinated demonstrations outside Thomas Cook stores across the UK today, urging the company to stop making excuses and finally stop promoting SeaWorld.
Protesters held signs, handed out tens of thousands of leaflets, and asked passers-by to sign postcards to Peter Fankhauser, CEO of the Thomas Cook Group. The event saw a huge increase in support for the campaign – almost 80 demonstrations took place, nearly twice as many as on our previous day of action.
SeaWorld confines orcas to tiny concrete tanks, where they’re deprived of any physical or psychological stimulation. These highly intelligent animals – who live in large, complex social groups and swim up to 100 miles a day in the wild – are forced to spend their days swimming in endless circles and gnawing on the bars of their tanks in frustration. At least 41 orcas and dozens of other dolphins have died in captivity at SeaWorld so far.
Thomas Cook claims to have high animal-welfare standards, but it supports orca abuse by selling tickets to SeaWorld. Today’s day of action serves as a reminder that the travel provider can’t continue to ignore the issue, and we’ll keep fighting for orcas until it agrees to do the right thing.
Thank you to all the activists who took part in the day of action. Here are some photos from demonstrations across the country:
- Aylesbury
- Barnstaple
- Bath
- Congleton
- Cumbria
- Doncaster
- Dundee
- Edinburgh
- Hastings
- Hove
- Leicester
- Lincoln
- London, Croydon
- London, Hammersmith
- London, Islington
- London, Lewisham
- London, Stratford
- Luton
- Newcastle
- Potters Bar
- St Andrews
- Wilmslow
- Wolverhampton
- Worcester
If you have photos from a demonstration that we haven’t included here, please send them to [email protected].
What You Can Do
If you haven’t already, please contact Thomas Cook now and ask the company to sever ties with SeaWorld. You can also leave a polite comment on its Facebook page or call its customer service line on 01733 224808.
If you want to get more involved with this campaign or others like it, please join PETA’s Action Team today.
