Everyone knows that PETA activists turn heads and stop pedestrians in their tracks (did you see our flesh-eating Halloween demonstration?!), and we’re always trying out new forms of activism that get people thinking about the plight of abused, exploited, and neglected animals.
So recently, armed with a projector, we took to the streets of Orlando, Florida, and turned average walls into larger-than-life protests against SeaWorld.
As it turns out, Batman was on to something with the bat signal. People were drawn in by the unavoidable glowing message, “Orcas Suffer at SeaWorld. Don’t Go.” We had lots of great reactions from passersby, including cheers and honks from cars.
Vegan Batman lights (I know—how awesome does that sound?) are a new phenomenon in activism that are spreading around the country. After our actions in Orlando, we definitely understood the appeal.
Orcas suffer at SeaWorld.
Orcas swim up to 140 miles per day in the wild. In order to swim that far in the largest tank at SeaWorld Orlando, an orca would need to swim back and forth 4,347 times.
We’ve known for some time that confining these animals to prison-like tanks is detrimental to their health, but a recent study detailing dental damage in captive orcas shines new light on just how much their welfare is being compromised.
These researchers examined the teeth of 29 captive #SeaWorld orcas & found every one had some form of tooth damage. https://t.co/bk7PprA3jY
— PETA Reminder: 45 mill 🦃s are murdered for Tgiving (@peta) October 21, 2017
While wild orcas can live to be more than 100 years old, those at SeaWorld often die by the time that they reach their teens and rarely approach the average life expectancy of wild orcas. If SeaWorld itself wants to survive, it will need to begin building seaside sanctuaries immediately, before more orcas suffer and die in their concrete prisons. The animals deserve—and decent people everywhere demand—no less.
What You Can Do
Even if you don’t have access to a distress signal to light the night sky with, there are plenty of ways that anyone can help shut down SeaWorld. Here’s 5 Ways You Can Help Sink SeaWorld
