Travel provider Jet2holidays has announced that it will stop selling tickets to marine parks.
The move follows years of campaigning by animal welfarists, as well as charity PETA, which described it as a ‘victory’.
The charity describes the venues as ‘confin[ing] highly intelligent orcas and other dolphins and whales in the name of entertainment’.
Among PETA’s two years of campaigning were demonstrations at annual meetings and across the country.
In addition, it co-ordinated ‘more than 100,000 protest letters from compassionate members of the public, scientists, conservationists, and organisations which specialise in cetacean welfare’.
It also garnered support for its campaign from a range of celebrities, including Morrissey, Faye Winter, Olivia Bowen, and Belle Hassan.
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Jet2holidays
According to PETA Vice President of Programmes Elisa Allen: “Jet2holidays made the right call to cut ties with parks that confine orcas and other dolphins to concrete tanks that are to them the size of bathtubs and force them to perform circus-like stunts for human entertainment.
“All eyes are now on TUI, which must follow Jet2holidays’ lead and immediately end the financial lifeline it gives these cruel abusement parks.”
In addition, a spokesperson for the organisation told the Express: “PETA applauds Jet2holidays for seeing the light and concluding, as almost all other major travel operators have, that selling tickets to venues that deprive intelligent, self-aware dolphins of a meaningful life for human amusement is unjustifiable.
“The company’s decision follows two years of peaceful campaigning from PETA, during which time we provided decision-makers with scientific reports, held eye-catching protests, and sent passionate appeals from cetacean experts, conservationists, and celebrities.
“The tide has turned against marine abusement parks – and there’s no turning back.”
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Featured photo © bennymarty via Adobe Stock, Jet2Holidays airplane photo © pavel1964 via Adobe stock
