Advocacy Groups slam Sea World plan to sell baby sea lions to naval warfare center

ORLANDO, Fla. – Sea World Orlando is set to receive a sole-source contract to sell six baby California sea lions to the U.S. Navy for military use as “Intruder Detection Systems,” a coalition of animal protection groups announced today. The groups, including In Defense of Animals (IDA), Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and Earth Island Institute (EII), vowed to stop the amusement park’s sale of baby marine mammals to the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center in San Diego.

“Sea World is a company that markets itself as a public education, conservation and animal rescue organization,” said Suzanne Roy, IDA program director. “Its plan to sell off six sea lion pups to be cruelly trained and deployed in warfare lays bare the corporation’s true motives – maximizing profits on the backs of the marine animals held at Sea World parks. The plan is deplorable and must be stopped.”

The Navy issued its “sole-source” notice of intent to “procure” the pups on May 15. The Navy plans to train the young sea lions using operant conditioning, a method that relies heavily on food deprivation.

“As a U.S. Army veteran, I am sorely disappointed at the military’s lack of respect for marine mammals and their sea environment,” said AWI Research Analyst Christopher Heyde. “I fully support the need to protect our ports and ships, but the best way to do that is through diligence and existing technologies. I’m not surprised to find Sea World involved in this; they are once again demonstrating their avarice.”

In an ironic twist, Sea World has widely touted its “To the Rescue” program, including a video of the same name which describes how Sea World “saved malnourished [sea lion] pups from certain death.”
“Sea lions are intelligent animals who lead complex lives in the sea,” said Mark Berman, Associate Director of EII. “It is apparent that both Sea World and the Navy consider these innocent pups as little more than disposable, exploitable ‘systems’ to be deployed like so much equipment.”

“We will use every means at our disposal to stop this betrayal of these sea lion babies,” concluded Roy.

IDA is an international animal advocacy and rescue organization based in Mill Valley, CA. EII is an international conservation organization based in San Francisco, CA. AWI is an international animal protection organization based in Washington, DC.

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What you can do:
1. Contact August Busch III, the chairman and main decision-maker in Anheuser-Busch, parent company of the Sea World theme parks. Tell Mr. Busch that Sea World’s plan to sell baby sea lions to the Navy for use in warfare is morally bankrupt and blatantly hypocritical for a corporation that markets itself as a conservation and animal rescue organization. Ask him to direct Sea World to abandon this outrageous venture without delay. His address: 1 Busch Place, St. Louis, MO 63118 USA. Telephone: 1-800-342-5283. Or, send an email through the website at http://contactus.anheuser-busch.com/contactus/talktous.asp

2. Call the Shamu hot line at Sea World. The number is 1-800-23-SHAMU (1-800-237-4268). It's toll-free, so call as often as you like. Tell the operators what you think of Sea World’s plan. Sea World’s own employees may not even know about it.

3. Contact the Secretary of the Navy. Ask him to end the military’s use of marine mammals in human warfare, because it is cruel, unethical and unnecessary. Urge him to strengthen security measures using reliable technologies, not living animals who can be easily distracted and are negatively impacted by a life of captivity and endangered when placed in harm’s way.
The Honorable Hansford T. Johnson
Acting Secretary of the Navy
1000 Navy Pentagon
Washington, D.C. 20350-1000
Pentagon Telephone: (703) 545-6700
Email: comments@chinfo.navy.mil

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In Defense of Animals, located in Mill Valley, CA, is a national, animal protection organization dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by protecting their rights and welfare.