A new complaint against SeaWorld San Diego alleges keeping dolphins, whales and walruses in captivity is causing psychological and physical harm, including skin lesions, scars and abnormal behavior.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) filed the complaint Monday with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees and annually inspects SeaWorld parks.
PETA is calling on the agency to send inspectors to investigate alleged violations of the Animal Welfare Act after veterinarian Heather Rally says she witnessed detrimental behaviors during visits on Sept. 4 and Oct. 18.
"During my first visit to SeaWorld, I personally observed several dolphins who were aggressively chasing, ramming and attempting to bite one another," said Rally, who works for PETA, during a news conference Tuesday.
She said the behavior was an unnatural result of being held in close quarters.
But being held in isolation may be worse for the typically social mammals, she claimed.
Describing a walrus kept alone in a tank, Rally said the animal spends his days swimming in tight circles, only stopping to regurgitate his food and eat it again — something she calls very abnormal behavior.
"Several of these animals were also suffering from extensive pathological abnormalities of the skin, including lesions, defects and unusual patterns of discoloration, as well as scars and rake marks from being bitten from other animals," said Rally.
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The veterinarian said she also saw unsupervised human contact with the aggressive dolphins.
Kathy Guillermo, senior vice president of PETA, told the media they hope SeaWorld will stop importing wild animals, halt its breeding programs and retire orcas and other animal to sea pens and sanctuaries.
In a statement sent to NBC 7, a SeaWorld spokesperson calls the complaint’s allegations “groundless."
The company's veterinarians say Rally's accusations were incorrect and reflect a complete misinterpretation. They attacked her, claiming she has only been a veterinarian for five months and is not remotely qualified to make her allegations.
“Today’s news conference represents the eighth time in just over two years that PETA has called for an investigation into SeaWorld’s animal care practices; all were groundless and none resulted in a negative finding," said the statement. " Today’s allegations are no different. The credibility of these charges is also reflected in PETA’s partnership with an activist who himself has been convicted of violating the federal law that protects marine mammals. It is unfortunate that PETA’s focus in targeting SeaWorld continues to be on getting media attention, not helping animals.”
The parks spokesperson says there is no higher priority than the safety of its guests and team members and the welfare of its animals, especially those taken in by its rescue and rehabilitation program.
The representative argues that SeaWorld is accredited by two professional zoological associations and operates under multiple state and federal animal welfare laws.
The park — which has branches in Orlando and San Antonio as well as San Diego — came under fire in the 2013 documentary “Blackfish,” which focuses on allegations of orca whale mistreatment that the company calls false.
SeaWorld has since been on the PR defensive, announcing multimillion dollar plans to expand a killer whale environment and programs to protect the creatures in the wild.
