Actress Krysten Ritter has joined People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in its new campaign urging SeaWorld to free captive whales from their small tanks and into seaside sanctuaries.
The star of Netflix’s Jessica Jones is the latest celebrity to join the organization in the protest over capturing and training orca whales for the use of amusement.
Ritter stars in a new PETA print ad, shot by famous underwater photographer Michael Muller, wearing a black and white bikini with her hands pressed against broken glass next to the words, “Break Free. Help Free the Orcas from SeaWorld.”
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Ritter and PETA are fighting to free SeaWorld’s orcas from a life of swimming in circles and suffering from severe psychological trauma.
“Orcas are meant to swim for 100 miles a day. They would have to swim back and forth 3,100 times in their tank to make up for that exercise,” Ritter said in her interview with PETA.
When addressing what she would say to SeaWorld, the actress shared: “I would say I appreciate you’ve decided to end the breeding program, that’s awesome and it’s a step in the right direction but it’s not enough. And it’s time to empty the tanks.”
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The 2013 documentary Blackfish shed light on the severe treatment of killer whales by SeaWorld and the inhumane ways they’re often obtained.
The film resulted in news that SeaWorld would eventually (by 2019) end killer whale shows.
“Today marks a bold and impactful shift for our company,” CEO Joel Manby said in March 2016. “The killer whale issue is a growing reason why many people don’t visit SeaWorld and this is about doing the best thing for our orcas, our guests, our ambassadors and our company.”
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For more information, please visit PETA’s website at SeaWorldOfHurt.com.