Jeez, didn't anybody see Free Willy?
The important life lessons of that flick seem to have been forgotten as marine parks have blended in as an acceptable part of our landscape. In fact, Sea World saw record profits this year.
Still, backlash against the theme park has grown since trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed in 2010, and since the documentary Blackfish has been airing on CNN this fall. The film shows the perils of keeping orcas in captivity and features former trainers who lament their roles in harming the mammals.
In the past month, Howard Stern has spoken out against SeaWorld, as has Alec Baldwin, and Macy's has come under fire for planning a SeaWorld float in the Thanksgiving Day parade.
See Also: Five of SeaWorld's Sordid Scandals
Most recently, fans of the band Barenaked Ladies created an online petition imploring the band to cancel its upcoming February show at SeaWorld Orlando. Activists claimed a small victory earlier this week when band member Tyler Stewart tweeted:
@paddersmoose Like you, we've seen the movie and were affected . We 're currently looking at options on how to proceed.
— Tyler Stewart (@Baldy67) November 25, 2013As of Wednesday, the petition had almost 10,000 signatures.
Change.org pointed out that "In March, a 70,000-signature petition convinced Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen and the band Train to publicly denounce the Boy Scouts of America's (since reversed) ban on gay scouts and to cancel their planned performance at the Scouts' annual jamboree."
