California Coastal Commission: Don't Let SeaWorld Expand

Despite the growing controversy surrounding its treatment of captive orcas, last summer SeaWorld San Diego announced plans to expand its orca habitat. While SeaWorld says it's to benefit the orcas, animal advocates argue that SeaWorld is simply responding to the public outcry against keeping killer whales in captivity by building a more elaborate prison cell for the animals. 

SeaWorld claims Project Blue World, which will cost millions to marginally increase the size of its orca enclosure, is to improve the welfare of its orcas. Opponents, however, argue the expansion won't do anything to address the inherent cruelty involved in keeping these huge, intelligent, far-ranging animals in captivity and denying them everything they would experience in their rightful place in the wild. For example, the new plan calls for a 50 foot-deep tank. In the wild, orcas regularly dive over 300 feet, and can go as deep as 800 feet.

The California Coastal Commission was expected to vote on the proposal in July, but pushed it back following an outpouring of public opposition.

Please help keep the pressure on by signing and sharing this petition urging the California Coastal Commission to deny SeaWorld a permit to expand.

As someone who is concerned with the welfare of captive marine mammals, I am writing to urge you to oppose SeaWorld's proposal to expand its orca habitat.

While SeaWorld claims the proposed Blue World Project is for the benefit of its orcas, it's clear the expansion won't do anything to address the inherent cruelty involved in keeping these huge, intelligent, far-ranging animals in captivity and denying them everything they would experience in their rightful place in the wild.

It's also clear that the tide of public opinion is turning against keeping orcas in captivity. With more and more areas pushing to end captivity for cetaceans, it's obvious the time has come for SeaWorld to make a meaningful change for the orcas it claims to care so much about by phasing them out, instead of wasting millions on a pointless project and pretending it's doing something good for them by making its tanks a little bigger.

Furthermore, if legislation being considered to ban orca captivity in the state passes, this project will have been a complete waste of resources.

I sincerely hope you will take a stand for a future where we only see these magnificent animals in the wild where they belong by denying Seaworld a permit to expand.

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