PETA’s Campaign to End TUI’s Support of Orca Abuse

Posted by on December 3, 2024 | Permalink

Update (3 December 2024): PETA Heckles TUI Speaker at ABTA’s Travel Matters Conference
A PETA supporter crashed the annual Travel Matters conference put on by ABTA – formerly known as the Association of British Travel Agents – in Westminster, where they commandeered the stage during TUI’s Head of Public Policy Nathan Stower’s speech and told attendees why TUI must end its support of orca abuse at marine parks. A protestor dressed as a chained orca was outside the venue holding a sign.

Update (19 November 2024): PETA Disrupts Travel Awards
At the British Travel Awards ceremony, a PETA supporter stormed the stage of TUI executives and unfurled a sign reading, “TUI: Stop Supporting Orca Abuse. Drop Marine Parks!”

Update (19 November 2024): Animal Allies Shine Light on TUI Promotion of Orca Prisons
PETA supporters gathered outside the British Travel Awards holding eye-catching illuminated signs that read, “TUI: See the Light! Drop Marine Parks”.

Update (5 November 2024): PETA Heckles TUI’s Chief Strategy Officer at World Travel Market London Event

Today, PETA supporters crashed the annual World Travel Market London event by commandeering the stage during TUI’s Strategy Officer and Chief Executive Officer Holiday Experiences Peter Krueger’s speech. They told attendees that TUI holds the dubious distinction of being the last major travel company to provide a financial lifeline to marine abusement parks.

Watch the video now:

Update (23 September 2024): PETA to Ant and Dec: Stop Being ‘Misery Ambassadors’ for Orca Abuse–Promoting TUI

As autumn gets underway, we’re looking ahead to next year’s summer holiday season by firing off a letter to TV personalities Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly asking them to call time on their positions as “happiness ambassadors” for TUI.

Ant and Dec choose to be entertainers, but highly intelligent dolphins and whales are forced to perform tricks at marine parks, where they’re denied everything that’s natural and important to them. We are calling on Ant and Dec to stop being “misery ambassadors” and drop their partnership with TUI until the company ends its promotion of abusement parks.

Update (22 August 2024): ‘Orcas’ Make a Splash at Bournemouth Store
Four PETA “orcas” wearing chains burst into TUI’s Bournemouth branch, one of the travel provider’s newest UK stores, which has reportedly seen footfall “soar”. Some protesters took over the store windows holding signs imploring, “Help Me!” and “Free Me!”, while others dressed like TUI employees stood outside the store holding a banner that read, “Orca Suffering for Sale Here!”

Update (30 July 2024): PETA Hits TUI With a High-Reaching Message
Today, a PETA activist burst into TUI’s Sheffield branch, one of the company’s “superstores”, with a very special delivery:

The animal defender released a bunch of helium-filled balloons with the message “TUI: Let Marine Parks Go!” See what happened next:

Update (11 July 2024): World Orca Day Protest
Ahead of World Orca Day (14 July), three PETA “orcas” wearing chains burst into TUI’s Manchester branch – the city’s airport is the company’s biggest UK base – and took over the store windows. Two other PETA supporters brandished a banner at the entrance, telling the public that at TUI, orca suffering is for sale.

Update (12 June 2024): ‘Orca’ Trapped in Tank Pleads With TUI
Outside TUI’s Birmingham store – the city’s airport is among the travel provider’s biggest UK bases – an “orca” trapped in a cramped tank pleaded with the company to end its promotion of marine parks. The action illustrated how orcas, who belong in the ocean, suffer in captivity. The demonstration featured a sign reading, “TUI: Orcas Don’t Belong in Tanks. Drop Marine Parks.”

Update (3 April 2024): PETA, RSPCA, and Others Band Together for Orcas
Following Jet2holidays’ decision to cut ties with cruel marine parks, a coalition of the UK’s largest animal protection organisations, including groups that specialise in cetacean welfare, rushed a letter to TUI Managing Director Andrew Flintham calling out the company for still selling tickets to marine abusement parks like SeaWorld that keep orcas and other dolphins captive for entertainment. TUI is the last major travel provider in the UK to support this abusive industry, prioritising profit over animal welfare.

Reportedly, TUI has been conducting an internal review of its animal welfare policy for many months, but it has failed to take decisive action and continues to provide a financial lifeline to facilities that confine cetaceans to cramped tanks for tourists to gawp at. The groups asked Flintham when he expects the review to be complete and urged him to end TUI’s support of cruel orca prisons.

Signees include the RSPCA, World Animal Protection, Born Free Foundation, World Cetacean Alliance, Humane Society International/UK, Whale and Dolphin Conservation, and Marine Connection.

“There is ample scientific evidence showing that captivity is wholly incompatible with the complex needs of orcas and other dolphins. At SeaWorld, one of the venues TUI promotes, at least 44 orcas and dozens of other dolphins have died from severe trauma, intestinal gangrene, chronic cardiovascular failure, and other diseases, all far short of their natural life expectancy.”
– PETA and other groups in their letter to TUI

Update (1 April 2024): Morrissey Blasts TUI for Profiting From Marine Park Cruelty
Following his involvement with PETA’s campaign that led Jet2holidays to cut ties with cruel marine parks, long-time PETA supporter, musician, and activist Morrissey sent an urgent letter to TUI Managing Director Andrew Flintham. In it, Morrissey calls on Flintham to follow suit and drop facilities like SeaWorld that keep orcas and other dolphins in captivity from the company’s holiday packages.

“There’s no excuse for promoting – and profiting from – this cruelty. Anyone with a thinking bone in their body – or a drop of compassion – knows that not only does captivity kill the spirit of these imprisoned, intelligent, social beings, it often kills them.”
– Morrissey

Marine Parks Are Prisons

Orcas and other dolphins are intelligent animals. When kept in marine parks, they suffer from social, physical, and psychological stress. Intense confinement causes frustration, resulting in abnormal behaviour, and they often break their teeth by gnawing at the sides of their tanks.

In nature, orcas form complex relationships, work cooperatively to find food, and can traverse up to 150 miles of ocean every day. However, those at marine parks are housed in incompatible groups in cramped concrete tanks – which can be 10,000 times smaller than their natural home range.

Kept in concrete prisons for decades and forced to perform demeaning tricks for tourists, the majority of captive orcas die far short of their natural life expectancy.

TUI Is the Last Major Travel Provider to Profit From Dolphin Abuse

After hearing from PETA entities, other travel companies – including Jet2holidays, Expedia, Tripadvisor, Thomas Cook, Virgin Atlantic Holidays, British Airways Holidays, Club Med, Airbnb, and Booking.com – have stopped selling tickets to places that keep orcas and other dolphins in tanks for entertainment. TUI is the last major provider to continue prioritising profit over animal welfare.

Ticket Sales Fuel Cruelty to Animals

Marine parks can only continue confining animals to cramped tanks as long they sell tickets. Don’t give facilities like these a lifeline – visit animal-free attractions instead.

Take Action for Orcas

Urge TUI executives to implement a company policy banning the promotion and sale of tickets to marine parks:

Send TUI a Message

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