SeaWorld float at Macy's Thanksgiving parade stirs animal-rights outrage
| New York
The famous floats of New York City鈥檚 Macy鈥檚 Thanksgiving Day Parade 鈥� long the unofficial kickoff of the nation鈥檚 holiday season 鈥� have been stirring less than holiday cheer this past week.
Nearly 80,000 people have sent letters to parade organizers, urging them to cancel SeaWorld鈥檚 float, which will feature a 27-foot sculpture of 鈥淪hamu,鈥� the ocean theme park鈥檚 iconic killer whale and signature attraction for millions of visitors each year.
Macy鈥檚 officials were also forced to uninvite rock legend Joan Jett last week from performing on South Dakota鈥檚 鈥淢t. Rushmore鈥檚 American Pride鈥� float 鈥� a response to the state鈥檚 cattle ranchers, who to the artist鈥檚 vegetarian lifestyle and support for the animal-rights organization, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
But the objections to the SeaWorld float 鈥� which were also spearheaded by a PETA 鈥� have stemmed from the recent documentary, in October. The film traces the history of killer whales in captivity and the conditions that led to the killing of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010.
For their part, Macy鈥檚 organizers have tried to keep out of the ethical debates and keep the focus on entertainment.
鈥淲hile it is understandable that such a widely embraced event can sometimes feature elements or performances that some people may find disagreeable, Macy's intention is to provide a range of entertaining elements without judgement, endorsement, or agenda,鈥� e-mails Orlando Veras, spokesman for Macy鈥檚. 鈥淭he Parade has never taken on, promoted or otherwise engaged in social commentary, political debate, or other forms of advocacy, no matter how worthy.鈥�
Activists and some experts find that position upsetting.
鈥淚t鈥檚 unfortunate that they鈥檙e going to have a float to promote what we now know is a very ethically questionable industry,鈥� says Lori Marino, lecturer in neuroscience and behavioral biology at Emory University in Atlanta, who has studied these mammals for more than 20 years. 鈥淎t this point, everyone knows that this is an issue, and the data and the science on how orcas fare in captivity is pretty unequivocal at this point.鈥�
The lifespan of orcas in captivity is just a fraction of their life expectancy in the wild, which can reach as much as 70 years for some individuals, Ms. Marino says. Only 5 percent of captive orcas make it to age 20, and the mortality rate for infants in captivity is extremely high.
鈥淎nd when you really think about it, in captivity, they are given food, they have veterinary care, and they should be living longer,鈥� Marino says. 鈥淚n fact, they die very young. This kind of species has so many needs that are not met in captivity that they experience a tremendous amount of stress, and it eventually affects both their immune system and their will to live.鈥�
鈥淭hey are so psychologically stressed many of them grate their teeth on the gates between the tanks,鈥� adds Marino, which requires excessive weekly dental work.
SeaWorld has issued strongly worded rebuttals Marino鈥檚 research, which was included in 鈥淏lackfish.鈥� In a letter, it called the film鈥檚 research
The parade unwittingly stirred up controversy elsewhere, as well. It selected Ms. Jett, the guitarist of 鈥淚 love Rock 鈥榥鈥� Roll鈥� fame, to perform on the South Dakota float after its initial choices were not available. Since livestock products are a significant part of South Dakota鈥檚 economy, ranchers felt Jett, a PETA supporter, was not the most appropriate representative for their float, which will be part a Macy鈥檚 parade seen by 3 million people on New York streets and an estimated 50 million people on TV.
This in turn brought more attention to the SeaWorld protest.
A three-judge panel of a federal appeals court is currently hearing arguments for SeaWorld鈥檚 appeal of a 2010 ruling by US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) that fined the theme park $75,000 for exposing its trainers to hazardous environment, issued after Ms. Brancheau鈥檚 death.
