ROTH URGES SEAWORLD BOSSES TO RELEASE PERFORMING MAMMALS
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS star ELI ROTH is taking aim at the owners of San Die go, California’s SeaWorld, calling for them to move their captive mammals from the "Auschwitz for Orcas" to wildlife sanctuaries at sea.
In a letter to Hamilton James, the President and COO of the The Blackst one Group - which owns SeaWorld, the actor/director pleads with him to ce ase using whales and dolphins to entertain the public.
The missive comes a month after an an orca named Tilikum dragged SeaWor ld trainer Dawn Brancheau to her death during a show.
Roth, the director of horror film Hostel, writes, "It was far more horr ific than anything I ever dreamed up in my horror films. All the violence and suffering in my films is pretend - no one is hurt, ever. Sadly, the same is not true at SeaWorld, which targets their entertainment at famili es and children." He adds, "As someone who works in the entertainment business, I can ass ure you that there are many humane alternatives available to introduce th e public to orcas without having to hold them in captivity for a lifetime against their will. CGI technology, animatronics, and other state-of-the -art virtual reality exhibits could be used in place of the current live- animal shows to provide park visitors with an exciting, educational exper ience.
"In fact, showing visitors a more realistic version of what life is lik e for real marine mammals rather than displaying the captive animals’ unn atural and repetitive behavior patterns - which are linked to their oppre ssive environment - is actually more educational, with no risk to human l ife.
"Having grown up in Massachusetts, I often went whale watching and cann ot stress the impact on me of seeing whales in their natural environment, not cooped up in a tank performing mundane tricks." Roth agreed to write to James and The Blackstone Group on behalf of "my friends at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)." (KL/WN/I
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