SeaWorld San Diego refused to comment Friday on leaflets being distributed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to tourists about how whale semen is obtained at the park for artificial insemination.
According to PETA, the leaflets are being handed out to people at Balboa Park, detailing the procedure and urging people to never purchase a ticket to a marine mammal park.
“Tourists in Balboa Park have been a bit surprised to receive copies of the enclosed leaflet, which highlights the sex scandal that SeaWorld would rather not have in the open,” PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman said.
PETA’s leaflets contend that SeaWorld trainers “masturbate” males, and that females that resist insemination are removed from the water and rendered helpless.
The flyer shows an illustration of a man riding an inflatable whale with the caption: “SeaWorld: where grown men perform sex acts on orcas.”
“As with any of these materials, we have no desire to comment,” SeaWorld San Diego spokesman David Koontz said.
PETA recently tried to purchase billboards for its campaign, but was reportedly turned down by outdoor advertising companies.
The animal rights organization placed an ad on a mobile billboard truck that was driven in the vicinity of the park.
–City News Service