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SeaWorld enslaves animals in tiny concrete tanks at marine abusement parks across the country, and now, it's expanding its failing business around the world. Please urge officials in Abu Dhabi—the capital of the United Arab Emirates—to ensure that SeaWorld is not allowed to set up shop unless it doesn't hold dolphins, seals, polar bears, penguins, or any other animals captive at its new park.
Since the release of Blackfish—the documentary that exposes SeaWorld's violent capture and cruel confinement of orcas—the park's attendance has tanked, top executives have been ousted, celebrities such as Harry Styles have urged fans to stay away, and hundreds of employees have been laid off, including 320 just last week.
In 2014, the park lost 1 million visitors, and in 2015, SeaWorld San Diego was the worst-performing major theme park in the world. Meanwhile, support for Disney, Six Flags, and Cedar Fair—which do not rely on abusive animal entertainment—has swelled.
Succumbing to public pressure, SeaWorld recently agreed to end its sordid orca-breeding program—which has since been made illegal in California—but this does nothing for the 168 other dolphins who are currently swimming in endless circles and breaking their teeth in frustration as they gnaw on the concrete corners and metal bars of their tiny tanks. And it does nothing for the 38 orcas, dozens of beluga whales, more than 100 dolphins, and innumerable smaller animals—such as sharks, pinnipeds, and penguins—who have already died, many of them prematurely.
Please send a polite letter to His Excellency Mohamed Khalifa Al Mubarak, the chair of Miral Asset Management and the Abu Dhabi Tourism & Culture Authority, urging him not to allow SeaWorld to use Abu Dhabi as a life raft for its failing business model and to prohibit the company from setting up shop unless it commits to not holding animals in captivity.