Merlin looks set to continue cruel whale shows

One year on from the launch of the SEA LIES campaign we felt it was about time Freedom for Animals and our concerned supporters had some answers from Merlin Entertainments about the three beluga whales they hold captive in their centre in Shanghai. Following the incredible actions of our supporters over the Easter weekend who took to the streets and online to speak out for the whales, Freedom for Animals sent a letter to Merlin CEO, Nick Varney. The letter outlined a series of questions …

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SEA LIFE vs ‘SHARK’ on the BBC

The recent natural history shark series by the BBC, SHARK was beautiful, spectacular and inspiring. All three episodes were a fascinating entry into their underwater world. The sheer variety of species, including the incredible ‘master of disguise’ the tasselled wobbegong, were striking, majestic and curiously beautiful. It’s a breath-taking tour around the world of the shark and the stingray. These animals are closely related and it’s not entirely wrong to think of stingrays as flattened sharks. SEA LIFE exploits both species.

This stunning and marvellous film of their …

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Join London activists on 29th August 2015

Activists in London are not resting on their laurels after last Saturday’s astounding EMPTY the TANKS success and another SEA LIFE demonstration is already planned and prepared. If you live or are visiting the South East on August 29th then please contact them and join in this wonderful celebration of animal liberation principles that SEA LIFE clearly don’t quite understand yet! For details see:  https://m.facebook.com/events/1385453548439976/

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See Dominic Dyer’s Rousing Speech from 06/06/2015

If you couldn’t attend the ‪#‎EmptyTheTanks‬ march for captive cetaceans in London last Saturday, you NEED to see this speech by Dominic Dyer from Born Free Foundation. Also take at look at Freedom for Animals’ photostream from an excellent day of protest against cetacean captivity! https://www.facebook.com/captiveanimals/photos_stream

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3UG2WZ-YsU

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Join Freedom for Animals & Empty the Tanks: June 6th 2015

Freedom for Animals activists: Are you free to help us raise awareness about the imprisoned belugas on Saturday June 6th?
The worldwide Empty the Tanks Day of Action takes place on June 6th. We are are collaborating with Empty the Tanks and we hope you can support the anti-cetacean captivity protests in London, Birmingham and Manchester. Our leaflets against the whales held captive by Sea Life will be distributed as part of the protests. Please let us know if you can take part in these protests …

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SEA LIFE claim circus-style tricks are ‘effectively natural behaviour’ for whales

SEA LIFE claim circus-style tricks are ‘effectively natural behaviour’ for whales

Easter weekend 2015 marks one year on since the release of the SEA LIES campaign, the result of a six month investigation into the workings of SEA LIFE and the well-being of the animals they keep. What was unearthed were troubling revelations that this worldwide brand were taking animals from the wild to stock their tanks, misleading the public on their so called ‘rescue’ work, ‘educating’ visitors with incorrect zoological information, and most of all, …

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Leaked SEA LIFE statement in response to SEA LIES Easter campaigning

In response to the SEA LIES campaigning over the Easter weekend, SEA LIFE sent internal statements to their centres, instructing staff on how to respond. This was leaked to us by a supporter. What we can see is SEA LIFE continue to repeat the same claims yet their actions do not change.

They claim:

“we believe cetaceans such as whales and dolphins have such strong social bonds, are such wide-ranging and intelligent animals that they are unsuited to any kind of display facility, which also inhibit their …

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Insider account #10: Alleged Gentoo penguin death at SEA LIFE Birmingham

Insider account #10: Alleged Gentoo penguin death at SEA LIFE Birmingham

The Gentoo penguin enclosure at the Sea Life centre in Birmingham, which opened in March 2014, is of concern. The enclosure originally housed 12 penguins but a few weeks after opening, an insider alleges that one of the penguins swam into one of the underwater viewing panels and died.

 

Photo source: www.flickr.com/photo/sell-r-brown

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Insider account #9: Shark deaths at SEA LIFE Birmingham

Insider account #9: Shark deaths at SEA LIFE Birmingham

One insider from Sea Life Birmingham told Freedom for Animals: “One of two scalloped hammerhead sharks died after a period of gradually declining health. For some time, the shark had been repeatedly bumping into the rockwork and sides of the tank, with the result that its body was covered in sores and scratches. However, no attempt was made to catch the animal and move it to a larger aquarium. The other shark will also probably die soon as it is a sociable species and does …

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Insider account #8: Penguin welfare at SEA LIFE Birmingham

Insider account #8: Penguin welfare at SEA LIFE Birmingham

A member of staff reported that penguins at Birmingham SEA LIFE showed signs of stereotypic behaviours.

“Stereotypic behaviours” are repetitive behaviours with no obvious function. In animals, they might include rocking, pacing, head-nodding, swaying and over-grooming, amongst other things.

Stereotypic behaviours are widely accepted as being a sign of psychological distress or even the external symptoms of mental illness. In short, the presence of stereotypic behaviours can be a sign that there is something very, very wrong with the state of mind of the …

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