SeaWorld sued over claims it drugs its killer whales
SEAWORLD is being sued over claims it keeps its killer whales drugged, suffering from sunburn and makes employees paint over the animals’ injuries.
SEAWORLD is being sued over claims it keeps its killer whales drugged, suffering from sunburn and makes employees paint over the animals’ injuries.
The Guardian reports that US grandmother Joyce Kuhl is suing the marine park in Orlando, Florida, saying she wants the $97 she spent to visit SeaWorld in 2013 refunded, along with the ticket money of millions of other visitors.
It is the second time in less than three weeks that SeaWorld has been named in legal proceedings after a similar class action lawsuit was filed last month in California, alleging the company is misleading the public by claiming its captive killer whales are happy.
Ms Kuhl accuses SeaWorld in court documents of using a chlorine solution “many times stronger than household bleach”.
“These orcas suffer in tiny, unnatural chemical tubs,” the documents state.
Ms Kuhl’s documents state that SeaWorld keeps the killer whales in shallow 2.5-metre pools for hours, causing them to get so sunburnt they have to disguise the injuries by painting the mammals with black zinc oxide.
The lawsuit claims that while wild orcas typically live between 30 and 50 years, SeaWorld’s orcas die in their teens or early 20s.
The marine park issued a statement denying the claims.
“There is no higher priority for SeaWorld than the health and wellbeing of its animals,” the statement said.
Fred Jacobs, SeaWorld’s chief spokesman, told the Times: “The lawsuit filed [yesterday] appears to be an attempt by animal [rights] extremists to use the courts to advance an anti-zoo agenda.
“The suit is baseless, filled with inaccuracies, and SeaWorld intends to defend itself against these inaccurate claims.”
SeaWorld has suffered a storm of criticism since 2010 when one of its trainers was killed by a male orca.
The 2013 documentary, Blackfish, alleged that SeaWorld had a history of chronic mistreatment of its killer whales. Not long after the documentary came out SeaWorld’s chief executive Jim Atchinson resigned.
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