Wild and free. Say no to captivity!
The protest’s theme is youth voices. Among the speakers are one child, one preteen and one teen. It’s a family event. Even hip-hop artist Darius Mirshahi of Test Their Logik makes a point of keeping his lyrics clean.
The fight to close Marineland is based on an issue that’s easily grasped. Reports published in the Star last summer, including the accounts of more than a dozen former trainers, have galvanized an opposition that had previously moved in ebbs and flows. There is momentum, and it’s crossing into the mainstream.
The company did not respond by press time, but in statements posted on its website over the last nine months, Marineland vehemently denies both specific and general allegations concerning mistreatment and neglect of its animals. The facility emphasizes its membership in CAZA and asserts that investigations by that group as well as the Ontario SPCA have found no issues of significant concern. Further, Marineland has commenced legal action against the Toronto Star.
The Niagara Vegan Baking Militia may be here, and there may be a guy playing the Braveheart theme on his violin. But the sympathetic honking never abates. “Two years ago we said, ‘We want this park to shut down.’ And John Holer thought that was hilarious,” Powell tells the crowd. “He is not laughing now.”
The above graph shows all of the Killer Whale deaths in SeaWorld facilities between 1971 and 2010. That is 36 deaths in 39 years, so roughly 1 dead Orca every single year.
Most of the deaths were caused by diseases, viruses and general illnesses that are virtually unseen and unheard of happening to wild Orca’s.
We at TurnTides are very strongly out to boycott SeaWorld and their cruel entertainment shows. Are you with us?
