It’s all over social media. Hate messages and posts against SeaWorld. It all started as a response to the documentary film, “Blackfish” which claimed the mistreatment of whales at the famous water park.
Now SeaWorld is fighting back by taking out full page ads in newspapers all over the U.S. The ads call the accusations inaccurate and spotlight their employees as “true animal advocates.”
“The truth about SeaWorld is right here in our parks and people,” the company said in an ad shown in the NY Times.
According to CNN, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) immediately issued a statement challenging the accuracy of the ads and encouraging people, “Please don’t fall for it.” The documentary shows a 39-year history of killer whales in captivity, leading up to the 2010 killing of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau by the 12,000-pound orca Tilikum — a whale previously associated with the death of two other people.
As reported by CNN, the network which aired “Blackfish” – In its ad, also posted to its website, SeaWorld:
• Denied accusations that it captures killer whales in the wild, saying it last did so 35 years ago.
• Said it does not separate whale calves from their mothers except for “the rare occasion that a mother killer whale cannot care for the calf herself.”
• Rejected claims that its whales suffer shortened lifespans.
• Argued its work with universities, governments and nonprofits has helped advance scientific understanding of killer whales in the wild, and said it has spent $70 million in recent years on habitats, which it calls “among the largest in the world today.”
