British Travel Company to Stop Offering Trips to Parks with Killer Whales

One of the biggest holiday firms in the United Kingdom will stop selling tickets to animal parks that harbor orcas, or killer whales, due to animal welfare concerns. Last July, the company Thomas Cook announced that beginning next summer, it will no longer offer trips to SeaWorld and Loro Parque [lo-ro par-ke]. The former is a marine park in Florida, United States of America, while the latter is a zoo in Tenerife [ten-uh-RIF], Spain. Thomas Cook arrived at this decision after over 90% of its guests said they prefer a holiday company that considers the welfare of animals in parks. The company also found scientific evidence proving animal cruelty in parks. Moreover, both SeaWorld and Loro Parque were not able to fully comply with the Association of British Travel Agents’ guidelines for animal welfare. More people have become concerned about orcas in captivity after a documentary called Blackfish was released in 2013. This documentary shows how mistreatment can cause drastic changes in the behavior of orcas. Tilikum, the featured orca in the documentary, became violent toward humans after being confined and isolated in a marine park for many years. After the documentary’s release, SeaWorld and Loro Parque were among the parks that faced backlash for their captive orcas. Despite Thomas Cook’s decision, SeaWorld stated that it will continue its operations with the animals currently under its wing. The marine park also argues that its visitors have personally witnessed the attention and protection that its animals receive. Likewise, Loro Parque will continue enhancing the welfare of animals and promoting the diversity of creatures around the world.