Four protesters wearing orca costumes arrested outside SeaWorld in San Diego
Four protesters wearing orca costumes were arrested Saturday for blocking the entrance to the SeaWorld park in San Diego.
The four, part of an hourlong protest organized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, were cited and released without being jailed. PETA argues that it is abusive to keep orcas in captivity.
Despite the arrests, PETA leaders feel the protest was successful and plan further protests in San Diego and other SeaWorld parks.
"We got a lot of honks and waves from people going by," said PETA spokeswoman Lindsay Rajt. "We'll be back."
A SeaWorld spokesman called the PETA allegations false. "It's once again disappointing that PETA spends most of its time engaging in publicity stunts (rather than) actually helping animals," the spokesman said.
-- Tony Perry in San Diego
Photo: Heather Drennan, 28, of Los Angeles is taken into custody by San Diego police for blocking the entrance to SeaWorld. Credit: PETA
EDITOR'S PICKS:
I, for one, applaud the efforts of these brave activists to speak out against the confinement of such large, intelligent, social beings being kept in SeaWorld parks. Orcas and dolphins die much younger in captivity than they do in the wild. Not to mention, they are frequently separated from their families. (Keep in mind, wild orcas stay with their families for life!)
I would love to see SeaWorld retire these animals to natural surroundings and release some of them, after rehabilitation programs, if possible. That would be a much better 'show' than some circus performance!
Posted by: Nicole | February 05, 2011 at 05:04 PM
Awesome job PETA for raising awareness about captivity of orcas. It's hard to imagine the stress these animals must endure... firstly for wild born ones to be ripped from their tight-knit families, but for them all to endure living in a sensually-deprived environment, devoid of anything natural for them. No rocks? No kelp? No prey to hunt? What kind of life have we reduced them to?
Orcas aren't scavengers, they're predators. Set them free or retire them to a seapen. Don't force them to endure this horror.
Posted by: Gwen | February 05, 2011 at 05:14 PM
Two thumbs up for the protest action !
Donald Newe, France
Posted by: Donald Newe | February 05, 2011 at 05:20 PM
Awesome job you guys, I will be at the next one for sure. Wow, I love you people who read the L.A. Times, you make cool comments. Whenever something like this makes the San Diego paper online, all the haters come out of the woodwork and make ignorant comments.
Posted by: Pam Harris | February 05, 2011 at 05:56 PM
Awesome!! Thank you!! I so agree.. just for human amusement and the almighty $$, makes me sick.. I live in the Puget Sound area and they are our friends, no one should be able to put them in captivity!!!
Posted by: Sandra Trulson | February 05, 2011 at 06:33 PM
Let them go, all the animal and mammals around the entire world who are taught to "entertain". Poor things they only want to please, and we treat them by shutting them in a pen? They are used to far and wide oceans, being with their family. How would you like your son to be in the ocean close to where you are confined, able to talk to you, but never able to actually be with you, for years and years? I hope this continues until the captures and killings stop.
Posted by: Lorrie Martin | February 05, 2011 at 07:36 PM
Sea World treats its animals very well. If you don't like it don't go there.
Posted by: Get Planted | February 05, 2011 at 09:19 PM
I am all for them executing their first amendment rights. I don't agree with them, but i would still defend their right to peacefully protest.
I for one am in favor of captivity of animals. The problem that organizations like PETA has is that they are so extreme in some of their views that people tend to tune them out. The only people that tend to listen to them are the people that don't need convincing. I'm curious if the people that honked at them were also the park visitors?
Posted by: jesus | February 05, 2011 at 10:13 PM
They think it was successful because a lot of people honked at them? They were wearing orca costumes outside seaworld, duh.
Posted by: john | February 06, 2011 at 10:44 AM
I love PETA!
Whales and dolphins should NEVER be kept in captivity. It's sad and cruel.
Don't go to SeaWorld!!!
Posted by: KP | February 06, 2011 at 11:34 PM
I don't agree with PETA, they're using wrong methods in what they do and some (would I dare to say most) PETA members are total hypocrites. And this way of protesting is not stopping people from going there really, might even make people more angry than to support their cause.
I HATE it from the bottom of my heart that dolphins and whales are held in these tiny tanks. There's so many reasons for this I won't even begin to list them. But I think that anybody who protests against this insanity should rather be raising awareness, tell the people going to SeaWorld and these other marine mammal parks the truth behind this business.
Once people realize the truth and stop going there they can't afford keeping them there nor to get more of them in. They will get such a huge group of angry people opposing them and they'll have to release them.
Everybody should watch a documentary 'The Cove', and read more about this (not just listen to the lies that SeaWorld is feeding) and see the truth on how these beautiful mammals wind up in those tanks and how they actually live their shortened lives.
http://theorcaproject.wordpress.com/2011/02/02/killer-whale-nami-cause-of-death/
Read the above link for more interesting information :)
Posted by: Tiina | February 11, 2011 at 10:18 AM