Animal rights activists with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, staged demonstrations Sunday outside and behind SeaWorld San Diego during a concert by singer Ashanti, criticizing the marine park’s treatment of dolphins and whales.
A group of PETA supporters gathered outside the park carrying signs that read, “Ashanti: No Dolphin is Happy in a Tank,” and “Ashanti: It’s Foolish to Support SeaWorld,” urging concertgoers to reconsider attending performances at the venue.
During the concert, a 49-foot yacht displaying a banner reading “SeaWorld Kills” passed behind the Bayside Amphitheater stage in view of attendees, according to PETA. The organization said the demonstration was intended to draw attention to its long-running campaign against keeping marine mammals in captivity.
“The real heartbreak isn’t in Ashanti’s lyrics, it’s in SeaWorld’s tanks where dolphins are drugged and sexually abused, mother orcas have had their babies taken away, and thinking, feeling animals waste away in concrete prisons,” PETA President Tracy Reiman said in a statement. “PETA urges everyone to help spare animals a life of misery by never going to SeaWorld.”
PETA contends that SeaWorld confines orcas and dolphins in tanks that do not meet their behavioral and physical needs. The organization said wild orcas can travel up to 150 miles (240 kilometers) in a day and dive to significant depths, while captive animals are limited to enclosed pools.
The group also criticized SeaWorld’s dolphin breeding program, alleging that staff use artificial insemination procedures that differ from dolphins’ natural reproductive behavior.
SeaWorld has previously defended its animal care practices, saying its marine mammals receive veterinary care, enrichment, and nutrition from trained professionals. The company has also said its breeding program supports the health and genetic diversity of dolphins in human care. SeaWorld ended its orca breeding program in 2016, meaning the orcas currently in its care are the last generation at its parks.
PETA called on SeaWorld to end the breeding of dolphins and whales and relocate the animals to seaside sanctuaries, where the organization says they could live in a more natural environment.
Ashanti did not immediately comment on the demonstration. SeaWorld also did not immediately respond to the protest during the event.
