RSPCA, PETA, and Cetacean Experts Urge TUI to Stop Supporting Cruel Orca Prisons
3 May 2024
RSPCA, PETA, and Cetacean Experts Urge TUI to Stop Supporting Cruel Orca Prisons
London – 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 (available here) 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. Although reportedly, TUI has been conducting an internal review of its animal welfare policy for many months, it has failed to take decisive action – and now finds itself to be the last major travel operator providing a financial lifeline to facilities that confine cetaceans to cramped tanks for tourists to gawp at.
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,” the groups write in their appeal. “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.”
The letter further points out that it “would be unconscionable” for TUI to continue selling tickets to marine parks, highlighting that dozens of leading travel companies, including Jet2holidays, Expedia, British Airways Holidays, Virgin Atlantic Holidays, and Club Med, have already taken the compassionate step to end their association with marine parks. Signees conclude by urging TUI to “drop marine parks from your offerings immediately”.
To date, over 120,000 PETA entity members and supporters – including Sharon Osbourne – have contacted TUI to demand that it drop marine parks from its itineraries.
PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk or follow the group on Facebook, X, TikTok, or Instagram.
Contact:
Jennifer White +44 (0) 20 7837 6327; [email protected]
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