The student travel agency STA Travel has announced it will no longer arrange trips that involve the unethical treatment of animals.
They have stopped tours that include elephant rides, visits to Tiger Temple in Thailand and visits to SeaWorld parks in Orlando and San Diego. This is another blow for SeaWorld, which saw a 13% drop in attendance in the first three months of 2014 compared to the same period last year.
SeaWorld blamed the drop in attendance on a late Easter holiday, which fell in the second quarter this year, and avoided any mention of the documentaryBlackfish, which portrayed abuses of the animals at the parks. Blackfish was released in July of last year.
STA's social responsibility program manager Kathryn Kirkpatrick said that the moves to end these tours was the beginning of an effort to understand issues around ethical travel. STA arranges travel for about 2.5 million young people annually.
“We are reviewing our entire portfolio of animal-focused tours,”
“We are reviewing our entire portfolio of animal-focused tours,” Kirkpatrick told The Guardian. "We take this seriously and listen carefully to feedback from animal welfare experts, customers and staff. If something isn't up to our standards, we remove it."
STA Travel asked the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to offer suggestions about which tours were irresponsible because of their treatment of animals.
“There is no doubt about the profound suffering that orcas and other dolphins endure in captivity, and with all the exciting activities available to travelers today, companies still profiting from the captivity of sentient beings have their days numbered," said Mimi Bekhechi, PETA's associate director.
In a statement, SeaWorld said it was disappointed by the decision.
Although STA Travel are not contracted directly by SeaWorld, it is disappointing that they have made the decision to stop selling tickets to our parks. It is unfortunate that STA Travel did not approach SeaWorld when conducting this evaluation so that we could share with them our high standards of care and the rigorous inspection and accreditation process that assures the health and well-being of our animals.
Unfortunately, like most zoological institutions, we are sometimes targeted by animal activist groups that are opposed to the display of animals and too often trade in charges that are completely baseless. There is no higher priority for SeaWorld than the safety of our employees and guests and the welfare of our animals. SeaWorld operates under both federal and state animal welfare law, including the Animal Welfare Act, Marine Mammal Protection Act and other statutes. We set the highest standards in the zoological community for the care and interpretation of marine mammals.
SeaWorld Entertainment, which has a total of 11 parks around the world, saw an 11% drop in revenue in the first quarter of the year.
Despite the poor start to the year, SeaWorld CEO Jim Atchison told the
Los Angeles Times he expects 2014 to return record financial results. He based his prediction on a strong start to the second quarter and the upcoming plans to open new parks.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.
the Bad and the Ugly," "The Godfather
Part III" and "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps," has died. He was 98. Wallach died Tuesday night. A family member confirmed his death to CNN. Wallach was long one of Hollywood's favorite character actors, giving
his parts -- often villains, mobsters or shopkeepers -- an added touch
of menace with his gravelly voice. In "The Magnificent Seven" and "The
Good, the Bad and the Ugly" -- two key '60s Westerns -- he played
bandits.He also played opposite some of the biggest stars in history. His
more than 150 credits includes roles in "The Misfits" (1961), with Clark
Gable and Marilyn Monroe; "Lord Jim" (1965), with Peter O'Toole and
James Mason; "Tough Guys" (1986), with Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster;
"The Two Jakes" (1990), with Jack Nicholson; and even a small,
uncredited role in "Mystic River" (2003), starring Sean Penn and Tim
Robbins and directed by Clint Eastwood -- his co-star in "The Good, the
Bad and the Ugly." But Wallach's heart was in live theater, where he originated parts in
such works as Tennessee Williams' "The Rose Tattoo" and Eugene
Ionesco's "Rhinoceros.
