Kelly Slater continues to pursue non-surfing endeavours. Today Kelly will confront marine theme park group SeaWorld on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) – who owns stock in the company – at its annual online meeting.
Kelly’s goal is to persuade stakeholders to implement policy changes and demand the release of SeaWorld’s orcas that have been held in captivity for more than 40 years.
PETA says that at least 36 orcas have died at American SeaWorld chains – not one from old age. The 2014 documentary Blackfish (watch the trailer here) exposed SeaWorld’s practices to a wider audience, subsequently leading to them being labelled one of the worst companies in America.
Here’s what Kelly Slater had to say to SeaWorld:
My name is Kelly Slater, and I’m here on behalf of PETA. The veil has been lifted on SeaWorld. All the ads in the world won’t change what the public now knows to be true: that the company imprisons highly intelligent, emotionally complex, social animals in tiny, barren concrete tanks, which leads to aggression and disease.
SeaWorld is experiencing declining attendance and revenue, and dozens of companies, including Southwest Airlines, Panama Jack, and Mattel, have recently ended partnerships with SeaWorld.
As a professional surfer, I’m lucky and privileged to be able to spend the majority of my time in the ocean – it’s the place where I feel most at home, and thus, I feel an obligation to protect that which I have a voice in influencing.
Please, tell us, when will SeaWorld allow the animals it holds captive to return to their home – the ocean – by retiring them to a seaside sanctuary? And wouldn’t this at least be viewed, if nothing else, as a public relations win for you?
By righting the wrongs you have committed in the name of corporate profit for so many years, you may actually be able to recoup some of the respect that has been lost in the eyes of the public and work toward an end to the problem of animal suffering.
Thank you.
