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Just seconds after two women climbed into a bathtub, naked, on a busy sidewalk in midtown Manhattan, dozens of reporters and hundreds of pedestrians descended upon them to snap photos and take video of their bold (and cold) protest against Macy’s.

Photo: Donny Moss

PETA organized the street spectacle to protest Macy’s inclusion of a SeaWorld float in its annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. TV host Jane Velez-Mitchell posted this report from the protest:

When asked by Jane why she was protesting in the frigid weather, one of the naked orcas said, “This is just an hour of our time. Orcas spend their entire lives in the equivalent of a bathtub.”

Activists protest SeaWorld float at Rose Bowl Parade

On its website, SeaWorld of Hurt, PETA says, “SeaWorld enslaves animals in small tanks at marine parks around the country, where they are forced to perform unnecessary tricks for “entertainment.” It’s a business built on the suffering of intelligent, social animals who are denied everything that is natural and important to them.”

Urge Macy’s to cancel SeaWorld float in Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Please use this form to send a letter to the CEO of SeaWorld asking that he release their orcas to coastal sanctuaries.

In what promises to be the largest protest in history for a captive orca, the Miracle March for Lolita will take place at the Miami Seaquarium on January 17th, 2015. Lolita, who was stolen from her pod off the coast of Washington in 1970 when she was four, has been living in the smallest orca tank in the world for 44 years.

Lolita at the Miami Seaquarium

For the first 10 years, Lolita had a killer whale companion, Hugo, who reportedly died by pounding his head against the side of the tank. Since 1980, she has been alone, unable to interact with members of her own species or engage in any natural behaviors. Lolita can’t even dive because the the tank to which she is confined is shallower than the length of her body.

One of the Miracle March for Lolita organizers, Robin Jewell, says that over 1,500 people have signed up to participate on Facebook alone and that a film will be made to document the event. The goal, she says, is to shine a national spotlight on Lolita’s plight in an effort to liberate and return her to her pod. Lolita’s mother is still alive, and, even after 44 years, Lolita continues to vocalize in the calls used only by her family, which should help her reintegrate into her pod.

Seattle on Worldwide Day of Protests for Lolita

In addition to the grass roots movement to free Lolita, advocacy groups are using legal strategies to liberate her. The Animal Legal Defense Fund, PETA and the Orca Network have petitioned the National Marine Fisheries Service to send her home on the grounds that her pod is protected as an endangered species. To date, Lolita has been denied the same protection as her family. The groups have also sued the USDA because Lolita is kept in a tank that is smaller than the minimum size required by the Animal Welfare Act and has no orca companion or shelter from the sun.

Lolita at Miami Seaquarium

If and when Lolita is liberated, she will be transported by plane to a coastal sanctuary near her pod where she will be rehabilitated and, if possible, transitioned back into the wild. The Orca Conservancy and Orca Network have  published detailed plans for Lolita’s release.

The Miracle March for Lolita is an expensive endeavor, as the City of Miami is charging organizers for police officers, fireman, lane closures and other services. Please donate to help make this march a success.

In addition, please urge Miami Seaquarium owner Palace Entertainment to liberate Lolita so that the advocacy groups can take her home: PETA petition, Petition Site, Change.org petition, Born Free petition

Attend the Miracle March for Lolita and/or tell your friends about it.

The documentary film Blackfish sparked a movement to free catpive whales that has spread like wildfire into the mainstream public. As SeaWorld attempts to douse the flames in an effort to protect the multi-billion dollar empire it built on the backs of orcas, a shareholder lawsuit against the company is fanning them to greater heights. In 2014, SeaWorld stock has dropped about 50%, and attendance is down almost 5%.

SeaWorld San Diego (photo: Mike Blake/Reuters)

How did SeaWorld’s stock price, reputation and popularity decline so quickly? It was the combination of a killer documentary that aired on mainstream TV (CNN) and a relentless campaign by animal rights activists worldwide to expose the cruelty of orca captivity. The animal rights community is bringing SeaWorld to its knees.

As SeaWorld puts bandaids on the gaping wound of orca exhibits, such as announcing plans for bigger tanks, activists are ratcheting up the campaign against the company.

Wild orcas  swim up to 100 miles/day

In the streets, protests are being staged at SeaWorld parks; at parades which feature SeaWorld floats; and at meetings with SeaWorld executives. A massive protest at the Miami Seaquarium, where the orca Lolita lives by herself in the smallest enclosure in the country, is planned for January 17th, 2015. Already, almost 500 people have signed up to participate.

Photo: Reuters/Shannon Stapleton

The battle to liberate captive orcas is reminiscent of the campaign to legalize gay marriage. On both issues, activists have relentlessly educated the public about an injustice, and they have complimented that effort with litigation, lobbying and street activism. It is because of activists that gay marriage is a foregone conclusion in the United States, and it is because of activists that orcas captivity will be outlawed.

Approximately 52 orcas are being held captive in aquariums in the U.S., Argentina, France, Spain, China, Japan and Russia. Coastal sanctuaries can accommodate these orcas when they are liberated.

Urge Macy’s to cancel SeaWorld’s float it the Thanksgiving Day Parade

To find out how you can lend your voice to captive orcas, please visit Blackfish.

SeaWorld justifies keeping killer whales in captivity by claiming their research studies, which cannot be conducted on wild populations, benefit the species. However, according to an article in Slate, an investigation of SeaWorld’s 52 research papers by Ingrid Visser, a marine biologist with New Zealand’s Orca Research Trust, shows that “SeaWorld may have systematically misrepresented the research resulting from work with captive orcas.” The article lists many examples of SeaWorld’s duplicity, but what stands out the most is their inclusion vitamin supplement and artificial insemination studies, which are “unlikely to be useful to wild populations.”

Photo: CTV News

Companies like SeaWorld and Ringling Bros not only confine and abuse the earth’s largest and most intelligent mammals (whales & elephants), they also portray themselves as advocates and conservationists for the same animals. Their duplicity is maddening. Thankfully, undercover investigations and documentaries like Blackfish are blowing their cover. To see how you can help orcas kept in tanks, please visit Blackfish’ Take Action page.

As part of Sea World’s efforts to restore its reputation after the documentary Blackfish tarnished it, the company hired 15-year old Bindi Irwin, a self-declared conservationist, to be a paid spokesperson. Bob Irwin, Bindi’s grandfather who runs a conservation foundation, used the news of Bindi’s new job to speak out against whales in captivity.

Bindi Irwin promotes Sea World on Good Morning America

Steve Irwin, who made a career out of provoking wild animals for his TV shows, was killed by an angry sting ray in 2006. Will karma pay an unexpected visit to his daughter too? The Irwin moguls appear to be animal abusers disguised as conservationists. Sign the petition asking Bindi to step down as a “Sea World Ambassador.”